The Benefits of Science Fiction!

Nearly two-thirds of American adults own a smartphone. We’re tied to our technology-- imagine if it had never been invented. Luckily, science fiction authors were there to help inspire new ideas and inventions with their writing. Science Fiction is beneficial to society because it has helped to inspire new inventions, and it allows people to think about our future.

Goddard and his rocket in early stages.
Image Source 

Firstly, science fiction has helped society by inspiring new inventions. According to Smithsonian.com, inventor Robert H. Goddard “became fascinated with spaceflight after reading an 1898 newspaper serialization of H.G. Wells’ classic novel...War of the Worlds.” He later went on to build the first rocket.  Without this inspiration, Goddard may never have been inspired to create the rocket-- which means much of the space exploration that scientists have done wouldn't exist. Science fiction was also the inspiration behind the cell phone, which is based off of the communication devices use in the original Star Trek series. Martin Cooper, one of the original designers of the cell phone at Motorola, said that their goal was to turn the “fantasy” of the flip-open communicators into reality. Without that television show, humanity may not have cell phones and all of the benefits that mobile telephones provide.

Additionally, science fiction benefits society by allowing people to think about the future. The Star Garden says that science fiction “allows us to imagine the future we want, and consider ways to work towards it.” An example of this is seen in Star Trek: The Original Series. In the 1960s, Star Trek  had a multicultural cast-- something that was very controversial in an era where segregation was still active in some places in the United States. 

Star Trek TOS included a diverse cast-- even when
diversity wasn't celebrated. Image Source

Nichelle Nichols, the black actress who played a communications officer on Star Trek, was personally asked by Martin Luther King to keep starring on the show even though she wanted to quit. According to NASA, Dr. King argued that “Star Trek showed a future where people were judged solely on the content of their character and not by their differences.”  When people watched to show, they saw men and women of many races and nationalities working together to explore and learn-- and that’s exactly the world that Dr. King dreamed of. By creating positive stories about humanity’s success in the future, people can take steps to making the future positive and great. This is what Nichelle Nichols worked to do with her role on Star Trek.

Science Fiction stories are not always positive, however. Some may argue that science fiction can be too negative-- that it sometimes shows an overly-pessimistic view of our future. Though Ray Bradbury is definitely my favorite Science Fiction author, he also tends to write stories where characters are punished as a result of their over-dependence on technology.  While some science fiction stories can be harsh and upsetting, they often act as warnings. These stories are not meant to make people paranoid or scared; they are written to encourage readers/viewers to consider current world issues and prevent disastrous futures.

Overall, science fiction as a genre has helped society by inspiring inventors and encouraging humanity to consider the future. The next time that you are looking for a good book or television show, why not try some sci-fi? You never know what it might inspire you to do!

Research from Smithsonian.com, TheStarGarden.com, and NASA.gov.