Comments on: Science fiction should be mandatory in schools. https://grahamclements.com/science-fiction-should-be-mandatory-in-schools/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=science-fiction-should-be-mandatory-in-schools Writer, blogger, and dreamer. Sat, 23 Mar 2013 05:15:47 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.4 By: Anthony J. Langford https://grahamclements.com/science-fiction-should-be-mandatory-in-schools/#comment-1482 Sat, 23 Mar 2013 05:15:47 +0000 https://grahamclements.com/science-fiction-should-be-mandatory-in-schools/#comment-1482 Pretty certain I read that in school too though I read so much sci-fi at the time its hard to discern.

Guarantee they wouldn't include it now, too liberal.

]]> By: Graham Clements https://grahamclements.com/science-fiction-should-be-mandatory-in-schools/#comment-1483 Sat, 23 Mar 2013 05:01:40 +0000 https://grahamclements.com/science-fiction-should-be-mandatory-in-schools/#comment-1483 Anthony, the only science fiction novel I had to read at high school was 1984. I very much identified with it. I wonder if they still get year 10's to read it. I would not call it hard science fiction though. No science it it at all. But 1984 sought of sums up the ideas in your comment, about the controlling of young minds.

]]> By: Anthony J. Langford https://grahamclements.com/science-fiction-should-be-mandatory-in-schools/#comment-1484 Fri, 22 Mar 2013 09:26:55 +0000 https://grahamclements.com/science-fiction-should-be-mandatory-in-schools/#comment-1484 Nice segue.

I don't think it would hurt an iota to mix it up. Never really understood why Shakespeare had to be studied. We should be looking forward.

At least a couple of books a year wouldn't go astray, but then, as much as we like to think otherwise, the powers that be keep us nice and conservative – the education system, their ultimate controlling ground.

Probably a story in there somewhere.

Science fiction today, fact tomorrow.

]]> By: Graham Clements https://grahamclements.com/science-fiction-should-be-mandatory-in-schools/#comment-1485 Fri, 22 Mar 2013 05:12:15 +0000 https://grahamclements.com/science-fiction-should-be-mandatory-in-schools/#comment-1485 Hi Graham,

A bit like the Hugos last year. I know that they allow fantasy, but the movies in particularly annoyed me for their lack of science fiction, especially since The Rise of the Apes, didn't get nominated. I would put that in the hard science fiction category too.

I can imagine if hard science fiction was mandatory that some schools would try to sneak the Star Wars books onto their lists. Ugg. And then the students wouldn't have to bother with science, because they will know that a Jedi Knight or Doctor Who will turn up and fix everything.

]]> By: graywave https://grahamclements.com/science-fiction-should-be-mandatory-in-schools/#comment-1486 Fri, 22 Mar 2013 04:25:16 +0000 https://grahamclements.com/science-fiction-should-be-mandatory-in-schools/#comment-1486 I'm glad you qualified that as "hard" science fiction – otherwise a great deal of fantasy would be on the curriculum! I was shocked to see this year's Aurealis Awards Science Fiction Novels shortlist. Seven books and only one of them seems to be science fiction at all! The rest are fantasy (although most have some kind of science fictiony gloss). Since there is a Fantasy Novels section in the awards, this seems grossly unfair to real sci-fi authors. (I didn't have a book that qualifies, so it's not sour grapes!)

Anyway, start teaching sci-fi in schools and you open up a massive definitional can of worms my friend.

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