Comments on: Science in my Science Fiction: Literacy? http://www.sfnovelists.com/2007/10/12/science-in-my-science-fiction-literacy/ A mutual support group for SF/F Novelists Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:36:00 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.1 By: Kate Elliott http://www.sfnovelists.com/2007/10/12/science-in-my-science-fiction-literacy/#comment-707 Kate Elliott Fri, 12 Oct 2007 23:50:59 +0000 http://www.sfnovelists.com/2007/10/12/science-in-my-science-fiction-literacy/#comment-707 Aiyee! That's a good (bad) story. It's like CSI and Bones and that other "forensic" stuff they show on tv. Folks at the lab got together at lunch once or twice to watch early eps of "Bones," and laughed themselves silly because it was so inaccurate and often just plain stupid. Aiyee! That’s a good (bad) story.

It’s like CSI and Bones and that other “forensic” stuff they show on tv. Folks at the lab got together at lunch once or twice to watch early eps of “Bones,” and laughed themselves silly because it was so inaccurate and often just plain stupid.

]]> By: Mike http://www.sfnovelists.com/2007/10/12/science-in-my-science-fiction-literacy/#comment-706 Mike Fri, 12 Oct 2007 20:28:51 +0000 http://www.sfnovelists.com/2007/10/12/science-in-my-science-fiction-literacy/#comment-706 Yeah, I'm biased to see bad science in movies and bemoan the state of scientific literacy given my focus and background. It's totally true that education levels could be higher in all areas. Here's my story that really bothered me since it was coupled to American arrogance. I'm on a flight from Chile to Los Angeles on a Chilean airline. We get delayed at the gate in LA, and as we're sitting there waiting, this woman in the seat in front of me is complaining about it. She's suggesting that we're having to wait because it's a foreign airline. Then she looks out the window and sees a container labelled "Potable Water" they're hauling up to the plane. She says, "And look at that. They can't even spell right." And we should try to hold movies to higher standards across the board. I'm told by those with experience in drilling that ARMAGEDDON gets that as wrong as they get the science. Yeah, I’m biased to see bad science in movies and bemoan the state of scientific literacy given my focus and background. It’s totally true that education levels could be higher in all areas. Here’s my story that really bothered me since it was coupled to American arrogance.

I’m on a flight from Chile to Los Angeles on a Chilean airline. We get delayed at the gate in LA, and as we’re sitting there waiting, this woman in the seat in front of me is complaining about it. She’s suggesting that we’re having to wait because it’s a foreign airline. Then she looks out the window and sees a container labelled “Potable Water” they’re hauling up to the plane. She says, “And look at that. They can’t even spell right.”

And we should try to hold movies to higher standards across the board. I’m told by those with experience in drilling that ARMAGEDDON gets that as wrong as they get the science.

]]> By: Kate Elliott http://www.sfnovelists.com/2007/10/12/science-in-my-science-fiction-literacy/#comment-704 Kate Elliott Fri, 12 Oct 2007 18:17:24 +0000 http://www.sfnovelists.com/2007/10/12/science-in-my-science-fiction-literacy/#comment-704 I agree with you completely. We do not teach science well enough, and furthermore we don't emphasize its importance enough. However, I would note that Americans, taken as a general whole, are not particularly historically literate either. I could likely give numerous instances of this but here's a recent anecdotal case: my spouse works at a lab with many young and not so young MAs and PhDs (forensic anthropologists). He had a ten dollar bill he had to mention in a report, and the person peer-reviewing the report inserted the word "presidential" before the word "portrait" (in reference to Hamilton's image on the bill). So the spouse went around and asked everyone which number president Hamilton was. Not one of the admittedly non scientific sample said "he wasn't a president." And now that I think of it, members of my extended family kind of hate watching movies with me because if I dislike the writing or logic of the story, I complain, and often the other viewers will have seen nothing wrong with it. So perhaps it's a larger issue of lack of critical thinking. I agree with you completely. We do not teach science well enough, and furthermore we don’t emphasize its importance enough.

However, I would note that Americans, taken as a general whole, are not particularly historically literate either.

I could likely give numerous instances of this but here’s a recent anecdotal case: my spouse works at a lab with many young and not so young MAs and PhDs (forensic anthropologists). He had a ten dollar bill he had to mention in a report, and the person peer-reviewing the report inserted the word “presidential” before the word “portrait” (in reference to Hamilton’s image on the bill). So the spouse went around and asked everyone which number president Hamilton was. Not one of the admittedly non scientific sample said “he wasn’t a president.”

And now that I think of it, members of my extended family kind of hate watching movies with me because if I dislike the writing or logic of the story, I complain, and often the other viewers will have seen nothing wrong with it. So perhaps it’s a larger issue of lack of critical thinking.

]]> By: Mike http://www.sfnovelists.com/2007/10/12/science-in-my-science-fiction-literacy/#comment-703 Mike Fri, 12 Oct 2007 17:01:05 +0000 http://www.sfnovelists.com/2007/10/12/science-in-my-science-fiction-literacy/#comment-703 And just to beat the dead horse a little more, people forgive bad physics in movies other than science fiction all the time. It isn't just about the suspension of disbelief. And just to beat the dead horse a little more, people forgive bad physics in movies other than science fiction all the time. It isn’t just about the suspension of disbelief.

]]> By: Mike http://www.sfnovelists.com/2007/10/12/science-in-my-science-fiction-literacy/#comment-702 Mike Fri, 12 Oct 2007 16:02:44 +0000 http://www.sfnovelists.com/2007/10/12/science-in-my-science-fiction-literacy/#comment-702 Well, I think that expectation is crippling to society and leads to low science literacy, fewer scientists and engineers, and a ghetto for science fiction. It may be "all speculation" but it should be informed speculation at a minumum. There's a difference between that and getting basic physics obviously wrong. Well, I think that expectation is crippling to society and leads to low science literacy, fewer scientists and engineers, and a ghetto for science fiction. It may be “all speculation” but it should be informed speculation at a minumum. There’s a difference between that and getting basic physics obviously wrong.

]]> By: SMD http://www.sfnovelists.com/2007/10/12/science-in-my-science-fiction-literacy/#comment-701 SMD Fri, 12 Oct 2007 15:34:14 +0000 http://www.sfnovelists.com/2007/10/12/science-in-my-science-fiction-literacy/#comment-701 Well, to put it simply, it has to do with expectation. When you go to see a drama, or a comedy, or an action film, you have an expectation. In drama you expect real, believable characters in believable situations that you don't have to question. It's just real. In comedy you expect to laugh, and in action you expect fighting or explosions or guns, or something that registers with you as 'action'. Science fiction also has an expectation. People go to an SF movie knowing that it isn't real by a long shot. We don't have faster than light spaceships, there are no aliens, and certainly no androids or robots running around talking to people as if they were alive. So, we have to dispel belief in the same way that we do for fantasy. People don't go to an SF movie expecting it to be 100% realistic because it's all speculation anyway. We can say we know what the future is going to be like, but in reality, we don't. We haven't a clue. So yeah, that's my explanation. Well, to put it simply, it has to do with expectation. When you go to see a drama, or a comedy, or an action film, you have an expectation. In drama you expect real, believable characters in believable situations that you don’t have to question. It’s just real. In comedy you expect to laugh, and in action you expect fighting or explosions or guns, or something that registers with you as ‘action’.

Science fiction also has an expectation. People go to an SF movie knowing that it isn’t real by a long shot. We don’t have faster than light spaceships, there are no aliens, and certainly no androids or robots running around talking to people as if they were alive. So, we have to dispel belief in the same way that we do for fantasy. People don’t go to an SF movie expecting it to be 100% realistic because it’s all speculation anyway. We can say we know what the future is going to be like, but in reality, we don’t. We haven’t a clue.

So yeah, that’s my explanation.

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