S&S vs. SF in BotNS

Lee Berman · 22 Dec 2011, 20:20 · from 2011-December.txt.gz

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From: severiansola at hotmail.com (Lee Berman)
Date: Thu, 22 Dec 2011 15:20:56 -0500
Subject: (urth) S&S vs. SF in BotNS
Message-ID: <SNT123-W6264EC536A69C6A6153331CFAA0 at phx.gbl>

>>But 10,000 years hence won't some people snicker at the ridiculous belief in 
>>"science" we have; laughing at such folly as neurology and sub-atomic physics 
>>as we snicker at thunderbolts from Zeus and witches riding brooms?

>Gerry Quinn: Some people do even now.  However, I don?t think our understanding 
>of such matters is likely to be reversed, though it may be deepened.

Well of course you would think that. Your belief in science is akin to the ancient
Greek's belief in Zeus or a Medieval villager's belief in witchcraft. If asked, they
would predict a future in 2011 where knowledge and belief in Zeus or witches would 
remain intact though perhaps deepened. 

I hope you won't try the argument that Zeus' thunderbolts and witches crop hexings was 
fake while sub-atomic physics and neurosurgery are real. Ancient experts predicted 
thunderstorms and crop failures and they were usually right and came to be believed.
You have never seen an electron and you have not done original research on the subject.  
Electricity seems to work so you believe the experts who tell you how it works. Same for 
brain surgery when you submit to the knife. Belief in science and technology is fully a 
matter of faith as much as mythology/religion.

>When I say there is no magic in the Sun books, I?m not talking about fakery, just saying 
>that it is the kind of universe that runs on natural rather than magical laws.

I tend to agree. But don't discount fakery. Wolfe doesn't, as Jerry's quote illustrates.
In our discussion on inhumi you expressed the belief that they really do achieve escape
velocity using muscles and survive for long periods in the void because Wolfe doesn't worry 
much about natural laws in his work.

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