How Science Fiction Influences the Development of Future Technologies

Posted: August 27th, 2021

How Science Fiction Influences the Development of Future Technologies

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How Science Fiction Influences the Development of Future Technologies

Sci-fi continuously plays a critical part in influencing the advancement of future technologies globally. It triggers the interests of many researchers towards the study of science by inspiring technological breakthroughs. In this regard, many technological inventions have developed through the inspiration of science fiction stories like the “Old Man’s War” by John Scalzi. 

Science fiction affects human factors’ applications in computing systems, apart from theoretical design research (Menadue & Cheer, 2017). Specifically, it provides a way of exploring newer forms of interactions between humans and computers, as evident in the book, “Old Man’s War.” For example, Scalzi tells the journey of John Perry, a 75-year-old American character who signs up for the Colonial Defense Forces (CDF) (Scalzi, 2005). The author’s central pride in the book is pegged on an aspiration of sci-fi that enhances humanity’s abilities beyond the comprehension of the universe. It makes analogy on the consideration of humanity as machine-like species to compete favorably with the galaxy (Menadue & Cheer, 2017). As much as the human colony seems outnumbered to battle with the galaxy, the conceited part of science fiction entails giving humanity power beyond the precincts of Earth’s gravitational forces. Therefore, this book stresses the importance of a monopoly kind of power that helps humans advance technology.

The reference on CDF imparts fictional characters like John Perry with monopoly power through a series of machine training that allows him to have interstellar travel (Menadue & Cheer, 2017). Notably, science fiction utilizes the Earth as a kind of people’s farm, where humans undertake training through mechanical devices. Imperatively, sci-fi application in the book seeks to inspire the latest human-computer interactions that model the digital afterlife ethics coupled with machine implants (Menadue & Cheer, 2017). For example, the “Old Man’s War” is a paid homage to Heinlein in that the book shares the logic of starship adventure (Scalzi, 2005). Notably, the book impacts the landscape of advanced technologies considerably by extracting imaginations that can be modeled into a world reality. From the author’s perspective, sci-fi may sustain a tremendous and complex impact on future technologies like computer algorithms. The illustration of heroic soldiers like John Perry from the book seeks to save humanity from the greedy, beastly hordes at the gate (Scalzi, 2005). Thus, such analogy appears to strike harmony with the principles of politically conservative individuals.

References

Menadue, C., & Cheer, K. (2017). Human culture and science fiction: A review of the literature, 1980-2016. How Science Fiction is Being Integrated into Research across Multidisciplinary Boundaries.https://www.doi:10.1177/2158244017723690.

Scalzi, J. (2005). Old Man’s War. New York, NY: Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.