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Chapter 653: 410: The Future of Science Fiction_2
Chapter 653: 410: The Future of Science Fiction_2
Chapter 653: Chapter 410: The Future of Science Fiction_2
As he spoke, Harrison Clark recalled Leonard Lewis’ own “Immortal Galaxy” series from earlier timelines.
The book became a classic and was adapted into a famous movie which happened decades after his death.
When Leonard Lewis was still alive, “Immortal Galaxy” had been criticized a lot.
Leonard Lewis pondered Harrison Clark’s words, “I understand now. But I think it might be because these great authors used a few decades of foresight, approached from a purely imaginative perspective, and found enough reasonable scientific basis. The future theories depicted in their great works gradually became recognized in these years. Technological progress has proven that some purely imagined theories actually are based on certain facts. That’s why they have been crowned as classics.”
Harrison Clark nodded with a smile. “Yes, even if a book has a large chunk of it wrong, as long as there are a few points that are correct and the story itself is logically consistent, it can still be a good science fiction. But this doesn’t explain why there are fewer and fewer contemporary classic science fiction works. You know, those books you just mentioned had a huge impact soon after they were born.”
Leonard Lewis thought for a long time, shaking his head helplessly. “This is too profound. Mr. Clark, do you know the reason?”
Harrison Clark nodded, “I do indeed know.”
Mr. Clark had a conclusion in his mind, but it was not his own creation. Instead, it was a summary of the ideas of many historians and artists from multiple timelines.
As human civilization stepped into the 21st century, with the passage of time, humans seemed to lose their imagination, and the science fiction works created afterward declined dramatically.
Science fiction became more and more fantastic, and less and less scientific.
For example, in the Eighth Timeline, there were works like “The Three-Body Problem,” “Immortal Galaxy,” “The Clockwork Girl,” “Mr. Shadow” in the 21st century, but later they gradually faded away.
By the 25th century, there were only one or two left, one of which was Harrison Clark’s own biography novel “Lover.”
Mr. Clark found it hard to look at.
By the 30th century, it was even worse. There were no more novels, let alone movies, which caused Harrison Clark great pain.
One reason was that he had to watch antique movies for leisure in the 31st century, and the other reason was his anxiety about whether humans really lost their ability to imagine the future.
So, he spent a lot of effort on researching historical materials, and that’s how he came to understand the scholars’ recognized views.
Now he was prepared to give Leonard Lewis a little guidance, starting with the science fiction of the 21st century.
“First, we can analyze a phenomenon. Do you feel that in recent years, science fiction novels, movies, and TV series have become more imaginative and less scientific?”
Leonard Lewis: “Yes, but why is that?”
“Because as humans know more and have a deeper understanding of the nature of the universe, our balance between the pursuit of truth and fantasy will inevitably drift towards the truth. Our imagination will gradually decline with the advancement of technology. Also, do you know the definition of a good long-form science fiction novel?”
Leonard Lewis: “It should be based on the present, looking into the future, with a future scientific background that conforms to theoretical expectations, and the exploration and portrayal of human nature should be realistic in the context of sociology.”
Harrison Clark nodded, “Well said. So, let me ask you another question. How many years of learning does an ordinary person need to join Newton’s laboratory as an experimental assistant, and to what level of knowledge do they need? Now, taking yourself as an example, how many years of learning does an ordinary person need to become a research assistant in a key laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley? What aspects of knowledge do they need to master?”
Leonard Lewis gradually understood, “I see now. First of all, a classic long-form science fiction novel cannot be centered on just a few characters or a single future technology. It must have a complete and grand worldview. Therefore, it must involve various aspects of technology in the future world. A hundred years ago or a few decades ago, an excellent science fiction writer needed to read a large number of books and keep up with the cutting-edge technology of the times. They were both proficient and knowledgeable. However, in our era, as technology rapidly advances, humans accumulate more and more knowledge, and the basic knowledge included in every discipline is vast.”
“Every day, every moment, more and more technological hotspots are emerging, and some of the past classic theories are constantly being overthrown. To be a perfect science fiction writer, one has to master an amazing scope of knowledge, and it is difficult for a person to learn everything. As a result, there will inevitably be errors and controversies in the creation of the work. Therefore, the difficulty of writing a classic science fiction novel now is getting greater and greater, and this difficulty will continue to increase with the further refinement of social division of labor.”
Harrison Clark nodded, “Yes, your understanding is basically correct. Maybe in a few hundred years, there will be no more science fiction novels or movies for humans to watch. By then, only one plot will be left in science fiction.”
“What plot?”
“Time travel.”
“Uh… I see.”
At this point in the conversation, Harrison Clark decided to stop there.
As for how far Leonard Lewis can go, each person’s destiny is different.
Later, Leonard Lewis curiously asked Harrison Clark about the questionnaire he conducted with the Oxford Professor in the UK.
He wanted to know if the results of the survey were real.
Harrison Clark told him of course it was real.
“So, are people who speak Chinese really so much better at facing the apocalypse than those who only speak English?”
Harrison Clark smiled, “Perhaps, who knows? Everything is speculation before it actually happens.”
“Mr. Clark, I just came up with an idea for a science fiction story.”
Leonard Lewis suddenly said.
“What?”
“I was thinking, what if there was a Chinese person who could travel through a space-time tunnel to a thousand years later and actually saw the apocalypse? Then this tunnel is strange. Every time he is about to die during the apocalypse, he is pulled back to the present. And after a while, he can go back again. Do you think he would really try to do something to change the future and save the apocalypse? What would he do?”
“Oh, my…”
Harrison Clark almost jumped up from his chair.
I only gave you a hint, but you have to be so imaginative!
Are you a demon or what?
Guiding others is getting troublesome.
It seems like I’m about to hatch “Lover” prematurely.
Chinese people? Do you think I can’t catch the hint?
I’m still alive, and you want to erect a tombstone for me?
What is going on?