Recently, Cory Doctorow of Boing Boing posted a short essay on why Science Fiction is really a foil for the present. He went on to say that any attempt to write futurism is at best simply a mirror for the hopes of the future experienced by the present generation. Of course, he's right. At least in a manner of speaking he's right. We are all but mere mortals trapped in this society during this epoch; any action an individual undertakes is necessarily a reflection of that time and society. I think that this reflection is evident in the reams of dystopian science fiction and post apocalypse fiction. I in no way mean to disparage the importance of having writers who can look upon the present with a clarity of vision. It is important to have a clear understanding of the present if we are going to push in the future. However, I believe that futurism plays an important role in shaping our society and it should not be tossed away lightly.

Occasionally the creative minds of a society can be more than simply a reflection of the present. Occasionally creative people can, in some small way, offer the possibility of a better future. It is rare to find a person who is both truly creative and also scientific. I should note that there is a difference between 'creative' and creative problem solving. The mind that can dream of a completely different reality is rarely the mind with the technical ability to realize that dream. For instance, Robert Heinlein had no where near the technical abilities to create an exoskeleton, but he could imagine the exoskeleton. There is a different process of the mind at work in dreaming and making the dream a reality.

Science fiction is the nursery of the creative ideas that humanity aspires to achieve. When people stop dreaming and writing and sharing about the future the creative impulse for the future disappears. Without dreams, laboratories across the world will suddenly stop developing new technologies and new gadgets. Instead they start rehashing old ideas from 1960's science fiction, and working towards the logical extreme of current technology and processes. In order for society to push towards a better future, we need both the dreamers and the technicians. Science Fiction provides the dreamers, or at least it should.

I think Doctorow may shy away from futurism in science fiction because he's afraid of being wrong. He doesn't want to have his ideas to be seen in the Category of frivolous hope and imagination. We as a society mark so much of the output of the 1950's and 1960's as overly optimistic and just plain silly. Occasionally we go so far as to call the dreamers as little bit foolish. "Where's my flying car Asimov?" But every generation looks back at previous generations and sees how backwards and foolish things used to be. The next generation will be no different.

The future is based on today's dreams; even if our dream is silly and incredible. The future is also based on our dreams even when our dreams are dreary, dull, and full of fear. I for one would like to cheer those Science Fiction writers who have the chutzpa to go out on a limb and dare to dream of a fantastic future. They are the positive and creative force behind the future of humanity.

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