Gender: Male Location: Drifting off around the bend
Advancement in relation to fact and fiction.
I have been considering this, and I think it could be that I made a statement in error. I am a behavior analyst, and we consider insightful problem solving to be the combining of previously learned behaviors, and not an act based on some fictional sudden insertion of knowledge. Advancement is thus merely the combining of previously acquired knowledge to better the current state of affairs. Fiction is not necessary for advancement, but it is necessary for improbable directed and expeditious advancement. Given this, such a world would be decent to live in as expectations would not be above the probable, and thus more easy to meet than in a world where fiction sets expectations higher than they should be.
Curiosity is not separate from imagination; they fuel each other. Think of a situation where they don't.
For instance: "I wonder if...I could do that too? I could transcend that? They are better than me? I could figure that out?"
We are curious about things we don't understand, things we haven't been exposed to yet. We have ideas of what they are or what they'll be like. We coudn't have that without fiction
The concept of future is fictiononal in nature.
I wonder if you'll be able to further defend yourself...
I wonder if I've got it all wrong.
__________________ Our doubts are traitors, and make is lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt
-Lucio in Measure for Measure
But curiosity itself is based on fiction...Like DaVinci's "Flying Machine" everyone thought that was fiction at one time, and now we can travel the world in hours in a plane.
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The only thing thats with you your whole life is complete and utter darkness.
Considering that most of society is built on fiction, take it away and society collapses until we evolve into beings capable of honest and compassionate existence.
Oh...that's not what you meant?
Fiction, especially science fiction, allows us to "test out" alternate As-Ifs. It gives us blueprints for dreams by which we may improve the quality of life.
Or is that itself a fiction, without which we would lapse into despair?
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Shinier than a speeding bullet.
Before everything when the world as we know it didn't exist, the sun had no light and didn't exist either, space was just vast cold plus empty.
There was most likely dark matter [ the matter that makes up that vast empty spaces in space] , it basically makes up what looks like nothing. In order for the creation of all that we know " nothing matter" may have collided leading to a small explosion that may have started evolution.
Thats as early on into the galaxy as I know.
__________________ The one who dosn't think jokes about serious things are funny, also is interested in others believes. As so, ying and yang.
Last edited by Darth Zedster on Dec 2nd, 2006 at 06:21 PM
You've made good points. Here's another...
The point of sci fi is not to "be real" like the way, say, soap operas are (yes, I'm being sarcastic). Scifi is a genre which asks "What if?" It allows us to consider alternatives and possibilities, encourages us to push the envelope of what could become real (as scifi has done in the past with, eg, TV, space travel, internet, ipod; all the things your gf no doubt takes for granted). It is an exercise in imagination.
Obviously, your gf doesn't get enough exercise.
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Shinier than a speeding bullet.