Have you ever
wondered why you see stuff in science fiction shows, and then you see some of
these same things happening in real life. And then you look back at those
science fiction shows and wonder, was it a reveal? What is a coincidence? Were
the policy makers fans of those Scifi shows?
It was not a
coincidence. It is because science fiction writers are an integral part of
determining policy. From, There Will Be War, Volume 1:
"The
Citizens Advisory Council on National Space Policy was formed in 1981 when
fifty of the nation’s top space experts met in Los Angeles to draw up a space
plan. The Council was jointly sponsored by the American Astronautical Society
and the L-5 Society, and its meetings were made possible by a grant from the
Vaughn Foundation. Council membership included aerospace engineers and
scientists, astronauts, political leaders, business leaders and space
entrepreneurs, science fiction writers, and students.
The
first meeting was held in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Larry Niven, and it was a
zoo. I had helped organize the meeting, but there was no actual structure. Dr.
Charles Sheffield, then President of the American Astronautical Society, had
been scheduled to preside over the meeting, but he couldn’t attend due to
medical problems. Next thing I knew, I was barking orders to get things
organized; and shortly after that I was Acting Chairman. I’ve been Chairman
ever since...
...For
three days we were in a pressure cooker. This conference was expected to
produce results; that was one reason we had science fiction writers, people
like Greg Benford, Poul Anderson, Larry Niven, and G. Harry Stine. Note, too,
that the writers sat in on the conferences as participants, not as “reporters”
or “technical writers.” We were, after all, trying to form bold new concepts,
and SF people’s imaginations were needed."[1]
Reality is often stranger than fiction, don't they say? Well, the reality is that fiction writers have a large hand in directing what governments do on a variety of issues. So, it was never a coincidence. This is fascinating.
List of
References
[1] Jerry
Pournelle. There Will Be War Vol. I (Kindle Location 958-957). Kindle Edition.
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