Making Science, Making Scientists, Making Science Fiction: On the Co-Creation of Science and Science Fiction in the Social Imaginary
Most work on the relationship between science and science fiction focuses on how science fiction can advance science by speculatively elaborating scientific theories. This text, to the contrary, argues that we should understand some science fiction texts as contributing to the making of science as a...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Les Éditions de la Maison des Sciences de l’Homme
2019-12-01
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| Series: | Socio |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/socio/7735 |
| _version_ | 1797311885832355840 |
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| author | Brad Tabas |
| author_facet | Brad Tabas |
| author_sort | Brad Tabas |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Most work on the relationship between science and science fiction focuses on how science fiction can advance science by speculatively elaborating scientific theories. This text, to the contrary, argues that we should understand some science fiction texts as contributing to the making of science as a social practice rather differently: namely by seeing them as a form of didactic literature which offers moral exempla to scientists or potential scientist readers. In order to illustrate this point, this article considers the representation of scientist-heroes in Gregory Benford’s Cosm and Ursula K. Le Guin The Dispossessed. It illustrates the ways which these authors depict model scientists that can help readers to imagine what it might mean to be a scientist, and to engage in science as a profession. It brings out the ways in which their drive to create such didactic examples may have emerged out of a crisis within the ideology of science itself, namely the crisis of legitimacy and authority of science today known as the Science Wars. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T02:07:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ee801fbdccbf4496a7d9c1e9070c3ab8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2266-3134 2425-2158 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T02:07:12Z |
| publishDate | 2019-12-01 |
| publisher | Les Éditions de la Maison des Sciences de l’Homme |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Socio |
| spelling | doaj.art-ee801fbdccbf4496a7d9c1e9070c3ab82024-02-13T15:42:37ZengLes Éditions de la Maison des Sciences de l’HommeSocio2266-31342425-21582019-12-01137110110.4000/socio.7735Making Science, Making Scientists, Making Science Fiction: On the Co-Creation of Science and Science Fiction in the Social ImaginaryBrad TabasMost work on the relationship between science and science fiction focuses on how science fiction can advance science by speculatively elaborating scientific theories. This text, to the contrary, argues that we should understand some science fiction texts as contributing to the making of science as a social practice rather differently: namely by seeing them as a form of didactic literature which offers moral exempla to scientists or potential scientist readers. In order to illustrate this point, this article considers the representation of scientist-heroes in Gregory Benford’s Cosm and Ursula K. Le Guin The Dispossessed. It illustrates the ways which these authors depict model scientists that can help readers to imagine what it might mean to be a scientist, and to engage in science as a profession. It brings out the ways in which their drive to create such didactic examples may have emerged out of a crisis within the ideology of science itself, namely the crisis of legitimacy and authority of science today known as the Science Wars.https://journals.openedition.org/socio/7735sciencescience fictionspeculationsscientific researchimagination |
| spellingShingle | Brad Tabas Making Science, Making Scientists, Making Science Fiction: On the Co-Creation of Science and Science Fiction in the Social Imaginary Socio science science fiction speculations scientific research imagination |
| title | Making Science, Making Scientists, Making Science Fiction: On the Co-Creation of Science and Science Fiction in the Social Imaginary |
| title_full | Making Science, Making Scientists, Making Science Fiction: On the Co-Creation of Science and Science Fiction in the Social Imaginary |
| title_fullStr | Making Science, Making Scientists, Making Science Fiction: On the Co-Creation of Science and Science Fiction in the Social Imaginary |
| title_full_unstemmed | Making Science, Making Scientists, Making Science Fiction: On the Co-Creation of Science and Science Fiction in the Social Imaginary |
| title_short | Making Science, Making Scientists, Making Science Fiction: On the Co-Creation of Science and Science Fiction in the Social Imaginary |
| title_sort | making science making scientists making science fiction on the co creation of science and science fiction in the social imaginary |
| topic | science science fiction speculations scientific research imagination |
| url | https://journals.openedition.org/socio/7735 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT bradtabas makingsciencemakingscientistsmakingsciencefictiononthecocreationofscienceandsciencefictioninthesocialimaginary |