Comments on: Science vs. Fantasy: A False Dichotomy

By: Vast and Cool and Unsympathetic » Blog Archive » Science and fantasy

Vast and Cool and Unsympathetic » Blog Archive » Science and fantasy — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 20:47:35 +0000

[…] and fantasy May28 28 May 2008, John Markley @ 6:13 pm There’s a good post by Mike Brotherton at Science Fiction and Fantasy Novelists arguing against the idea of a dichotomy between fantasy and science fiction, in which fantasy […]

By: Chris (The Book Swede)

Chris (The Book Swede) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 21:42:55 +0000

Great post It’s always annoyed me when scientists are presented in the mainstream media as being possessed of some arcane — but ultimately useless — knowledge, and as being ignoring* of the overwhelming evidence for something supernatural.

*I prefer ignoring, even though it’s a bit stilted, to “skeptical”, since I expect they would be “skeptical”, but in a good way. Damn these words with nuances and alternate meanings!

Nice post.

~Chris

By: Split Legend » Blog Archive » The dichotomy

Split Legend » Blog Archive » The dichotomy — Sat, 31 May 2008 12:32:59 +0000

[…] that afternoon, I’m combing Technorati and stumble across the blog entry Science vs. Fantasy: A False Dichotomy. In short, Mike Brotherton looks at the logistics of pitting science and fantasy against another. […]

By: John Markley

John Markley — Mon, 12 May 2008 06:24:37 +0000

Good post. The whole “skeptical in the face of overwhelming evidence” trope is a pet peeve of mine. Horror movies seem to be a frequent offender in that regard.

It’s especially annoying if the character lives in a fantastical world and has been frequently exposed to supernatural events in the past, yet once again becomes a mindlessly dogmatic materialist every time another clearly supernatural phenomenon comes along. “Look, I know we’ve previously encountered ghosts, werewolves, nymphs, Goetic demons, leprechauns, Merlin, valkyries, the prophet Elijah, tengu, nephilim, the Spear of Longinus, Satan, our own time-traveling past life incarnations, and the entire Aztec pantheon. But the idea that vampires might be real is just absurd!”

By: Mike Brotherton

Mike Brotherton — Fri, 09 May 2008 19:14:15 +0000

As long as the magic has consistent rules, oh yeah, scientists would love it. And nearly every fantasy writer I know goes on and on about how important it is to construct consistent magic systems. TV scriptwriters tend to worry less about it, I think.

Oh, FYI, Fantasy Magazine is running this post, too, today, as part of a contest. Best comment wins a prize ($10 I think?). Here:

http://www.darkfantasy.org/fantasy/?p=552

By: Science vs. Fantasy False Dichotomy Redux at Fantasy Magazine

Science vs. Fantasy False Dichotomy Redux at Fantasy Magazine — Fri, 09 May 2008 19:10:59 +0000

[…] revised version of my original post is up at sfnovelists.com today, but more interestingly over at Fantasy Magazine, to, as their “Blog for a Beer” […]

By: Eliza

Eliza — Fri, 09 May 2008 16:34:23 +0000

I always figured that if a scientist met something that landed outside of his experience (magic), that after the shock wore off he’d grow obsessive about trying to duplicate the effect. I could even see them getting excited. Something new! Of anyone, I could see scientists delving into a reoccurring, stable magic to map out its particulars. That’s why they are scientists.

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 09 May 2008 12:43:51 +0000

One of the nice things about Terry Pratchett’s writing is that he tend to make stories about traditionally Fantastic characters - witches, trolls, demons etc. - feel like they are Sci-Fi. It’s very clean, he explains things as if he’s writing about a Science.
Fantasy can so often be used as an excuse to sweep inconsistencies under the carpet: “Oh, it’s MAGIC,” they tell us. Laziness! say I.