Science Fiction is simply Science Future. I've been around science long enough to see all kinds of surprisingly cool stuff that would have been termed impossible only a few short moments before. Depending on how close your experience lies to the cutting edge of research, many technologies that appear to be total fiction have actually been accomplished and are currently deep within the product development process or the proprietary or classified scientific pipeline and may take years or decades to debut in front of the general public.
As a scientist and a total geek, I much prefer reading Fantasy to science future. The elements of magic and exotic lifeforms provide all manner of surprising solutions to complex problems. Surprise is a key ingredient to learning -- and I love to learn. I continue to be surprised by author R.A. Salvatore as I delightfully make my way through his 13-volume Forgotten Realms series describing The Legend of Drizzt -- a dark elf who chooses to leave the fellow members of his chaotically-evil subterranean race to live above ground among honorable colleagues of various races. Drizzt lives his code of honor through actions and words. A particularly poignant passage from Drizzt contained in Volume IX - Siege of Darkness follows:In the heart, there is no sting greater that watching the struggles of one you love, knowing that only through such strife will that person grow and recognize the potential of his or her existence. Too many thieves in the Realms believe the formula for happiness lies in an unguarded treasure trove. Too many wizards seek to circumvent the years of study required for true power. They find a spell on a scroll or an enchanted item that is far beyond their understanding, yet they try it anyway, only to be consumed by the powerful magic. Too many priests in the Realms, and too many religious sects in general, ask of themselves and of their congregations only humble servitude.
All of them are doomed to fail in the true test of happiness. There is one ingredient missing in stumbling upon an unguarded treasure hoard; there is one element absent when a minor wizard lays his hands on an archmage's staff; there is one item unaccounted for in humble, unquestioning, and unambitious servitude.
A sense of accomplishment.
It is the most important ingredient in any rational being's formula of happiness. It is the element that builds confidence and allows us to go on to other, greater tasks. It is the item that promotes a sense of self-worth, that allows any person to believe there is value in life itself, that gives a sense of purpose to bolster us as we face life's unanswerable questions.
-Drizzt Do'Urden
So much like Science Fiction is simply Science Future, perhaps Fantasy is simply Reality without the shackles of political correctness.
