I was thinking about Isaac Asimov and Carl Sagan and some of my other favorite science fiction authors because an article was circulating warning people that science fiction literature is a danger due to the themes of "godlessness" and the lack of belief or personal beliefs of some of the most famous authors of all time. In my thinking, they are famous because there is a basic truth and logic to what they write about, for example, in Contact, the truth is what is sought, now what is wrong in pursuing the truth? What is wrong with logically approaching any situation in life and making informed choices based on fact? In most science fiction stories, science, data, and logic are used to approach problems.
If you choose to look at science fiction literature from a pragmatic point of view, it is fiction, a story that is made up to read and enjoy and then get on with your life. You can ascribe any meaning you like to the work of fiction, end of story.
Here are some of my favorite quotes by Isaac Asimov:
I do not fear computers. I fear the lack of them.If knowledge can create problems, it is not through ignorance that we can solve them.Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It's the transition that's troublesome.Never let your sense of morals get in the way of doing what's right.Part of the inhumanity of the computer is that, once it is competently programmed and working smoothly, it is completely honest.Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.Science can be introduced to children well or poorly. If poorly, children can be turned away from science; they can develop a lifelong antipathy; they will be in a far worse condition than if they had never been introduced to science at all.Here is a
link to the article warning people about science fiction.
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