Q2: Is science fiction the sociology of the future?
Science fiction as a mirror fragment of the future
Conventionally, it was often dismissed that science fiction, whether it be
an insightful classroom reference, a social phenomenon, or a building block that h
elps shape the modern or postmodern view of the world (Gerlach and N. Hamilton, 20
03), not only accompanies astonishing discourse but also scholarly importance in t
he sociological context. A recent approach to this signifies that science fiction
is the imaginary expression of the social issues that are valued in the present (R
ees, 2019), which could render the accounts of science fiction somewhat feasible.
Hence, it is crucial to note that science fiction often spawned the actual expansi
on of ideas in political, cultural, and social domains in the succeeding generatio
ns. This is mainly due to the relevance between science fiction and sociological s
tudies that enable researchers and readers to experiment and examine variations of
thoughts in different frames of sociological theories.
Direct impact on political agendas posed by science fiction is one focal po
int to understand the genre as a reflection of multiple versions of the future. Ev
idence suggests that science fiction, if widespread as popular culture, has framed
and inflamed the political policies, decisions, and debates that were yet to come
in sight (Stimmer, 2019). To illustrate, in the 1980s, President Reagan initiated
the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), also known as the “Star Wars program” to
detect and neutralize nuclear attacks from the Soviet Union during the Cold War. T
he nickname was dubbed after the popular film series which yielded further fandom
with board games, videos, and fantastical role-playing games. The core sentiments
of general consumers within this popular culture were increasingly driven to the i
deas of excitement, annihilation, and power of the nuclear world against the outsi
de attack, which is still absent in mundane reality (Reiss, 1992). Indeed, Preside
nt Reagan seemed to uphold these ideas which were prevalent in the contemporary fi
ctional media during his remarks at the Walt Disney Epcot Center before his speech
in SDI (Reiss, 1992). This may indicate that public attention triggered from a fic
tional story was leveraged to rationalize and even develop military initiatives of
a nation. This idea is justified by broader military applications from the insight
s of science fiction, which in the case of SDI, framed the strategies of the Unite
d States Armed Forces (Disch, 2000).
The case of SDI also demonstrates the reproduction of cultural and social i
nfluence, which is the other aspect that could help weave plausibility of prospect
s into science fiction. Evidence indicates that the associations between ‘Star Wa
rs’ and SDI were particularly appealing to males, as a form of masculinity (Reiss
, 1992). From the book, The Strategic Defense Initiative (1992), the investigation
revealed that the individuals who worked on SDI consisted of more males than femal
e participants. Among them, one would recall the first chart from the SDI Office t
ermed in bold letters: ‘MUNITIONS, THRUSTS, PRECISION, STANDOFF, NIGHT CAPABILITY
’ (Reiss, 1992). This may imply that the link between the popular fiction and the
political initiative was centered around an implicit agreement of the muscular bon
d among males and imaginaries of fighting on frontiers. As a cultural manifestatio
n of ‘Star Wars’ (Reiss, 1992), SDI was later criticized for beautifying and fan
tasizing the socio-psychological conceptions of wars. Furthermore, the easy associ
ation helped deliberately distance the corporeal ideas of violence, cruelty, fear,
and sorrow from the general public. These ideas may connote that popular indulgenc
e of science fiction has embellished cultural attitudes and shared expectations to
wards the future (Gerlach and N. Hamilton, 2003). Consequently, this led imaginari
es behind science fiction to surpass the realm of exploration and experiments of s
ocial frameworks, partly manifesting themselves in the dynamics of cultural and so
cial changes.
In this essay, it is demonstrated that the accounts, themes, and core ideas
of science fiction could generate shared beliefs and notions in society albeit wit
h non-factual discourse, thus rendering individuals experience contingent nature o
f the genre through political, cultural, and social phenomena that are yet to come
. However, as to the case of SDI, the contingency or volatility of science fiction
is highly dependent on popular sentiments that may suffer from tricks and manipula
tions of fictional productions and their reckless advocates, if, without deliberat
e consideration to estimate the objectivity versus fantasies (Disch, 2000). Theref
ore, a thorough examination of different sociological theories and contexts and di
screte measurement of various consequences must play a role as substantial precede
nts for allowing the virtual world to permeate our living world.
Reference List
Rees, A. and Morus, I. (2019). Presenting Futures Past:. Osiris, 34(1), pp.1-15.
Gerlach, N. and N. Hamilton, S. (2003). Introduction: A History of Social Science
Fiction. Science Fiction Studies, 30(2), pp.161-173.
Stimmer, A. (2019). Star Wars or Strategic Defense Initiative: What's in a Name?.
Journal of Global Security Studies, 4(4), pp.430-447.
Reiss, E. (1992). The Strategic Defense Initiative. Wiltshire: Cambridge Universit
y Press, pp.155-164.
Disch, T. (2000). The dreams our stuff is made of. New York: Touchstone.