Early Science Fiction’s Influence on Early Science

In the mid-17^th century, European society experienced an evolution in the way natural phenomena were described and explored. What was previously known as “natural philosophy” (which included disciplines like alchemy and medicine) slowly grew into what we now recognize as science. This evolution came at a time when those working in the field of natural philosophy would have already been exposed to new and cutting-edge ideas in stories that are understood today as early science fiction. These fictions took plausible new scientific ideas and placed them in narratives to explore the effects of how those ideas might affect the world.

In the 1660s, a premier group of natural philosophers formed The Royal Society, also known as The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge. To paraphrase Robert Markley, The Royal Society recognized that science could become a utopia of advancement, objectivity, progress, and improvement of the arts (Markley, 1983, pp. 355-6). This group included Robert Boyle (1627-1691) and Isaac Newton (1643-1727), revolutionary natural philosophers of the period. Both of these early scientists were inventing disciplines, methods, languages, math, and science as they were developing their works (Markley, pp. 358-9). Though their work was certainly groundbreaking, some of their ideas would have been influenced by fictional works already in circulation at the time.

Published posthumously in 1626, Francis Bacon’s New Atlantis describes an isolated, hidden nation featuring an institution known as Salomon's House. This institution made use of the relatively new principles of the scientific method, which Bacon himself developed. Based on these principles, Bacon’s story describes the various roles people play at Salomon’s House, which is essentially a research university pursuing and applying science to further human knowledge. Bacon’s characters do this, according to the story, because the purpose of Salomon’s House is “…the knowledge of causes, and secret motions of things; and the enlarging of the bounds of human empire, to the effecting of all things possible" (Bacon, 1626).

New Atlantis may have influenced the methods behind the science itself, but Thomas More’s Utopia, published in 1516, would’ve given rise to the idea that society itself might be improvable, if not perfectable, with learned planning. More’s story not only describes the island of Utopia as a society in a geographical location, the civilization there is described as a utopia in the sense that it is an idealized society. Everyone’s needs are met. Everyone has a role. Everyone is treated fairly and equally (More, 1516). A proto-communist society in nature, the specific principles may not necessarily hold up to scrutiny by today’s standards; but the innovative idea that disciplined foreknowledge could support the educated planning of an entire civilization would have been radical and inspiring at the time.

1608 saw the publication of Johannes Kepler’s Somnium (or, The Dream). Written as a university dissertation, this story describes how astronomy on the moon might look. First, however, Kepler’s astronomer needed to get to the moon before conducting such astronomy. Though he includes the help of a “daemon” (maybe what we might call an alien) to facilitate the journey, Kepler goes on to describe the safety precautions and possible effects on the human body during space travel. What follows is a fairly dense scientific description of lunar-based astronomy (Kepler, 1630). 17^th-century natural philosophers would have been absorbed not only by the scientific detail, but also with an intense sense of possibility seeing the application of science in such an exotic context, thus making Kepler an early writer of hard science fiction and science fiction prototyping (an increasingly popular real-world method for imagining the effect of new technology on the future) (Wikipedia. 2020.).

When Margaret Cavendish published The Blazing World in 1666, she had been interacting with The Royal Society. In her story, a young woman is abducted, her abductors die, she is rescued after finding another world connected to ours, and she becomes empress of that “blazing world”. The men of the blazing world are hybrids of men with insects and animals, but are versed in the various disciplines of natural philosophy. Her story attempts to explore many scientific topics such as why the sun is hot, what snow is made of, and what life is. On the overwhelming wondrousness of life, the protagonist eventually declares “Nature's works are so various and wonderful, that no particular creature is able to trace her ways” (Cavendish, 1666.). The Blazing World would have been a direct challenge to the scientists of the day, and was a forerunner of feminist science fiction that would flourish in the latter 20^th century.

Even before science was known by that name, and before the term science fiction was used to describe stories exploring scientific possibilities, early precursors of such stories were influencing the people that would make science a reality. Those people would, in turn, develop science into an engine of imagination fueling even more stories in what would become a recurring symbiotic relationship of discovery and imagination.

 

Works Cited

Bacon, Francis. The New Atlantis. Project Gutenberg, 2008. Ebook.

Cavendish, Margaret. The Description of a New World, Called The Blazing-World. Project Gutenberg, 2016. Ebook.

Kepler, Johannes. Somnium – A Dream. Charlestown, Rhode Island: Frosty Drew Memorial Fund, Inc., 2020. https://frostydrew.org/papers.dc/papers/paper-somnium/.

Markley, Robert. “Objectivity as Ideology: Boyle, Newton, and the Languages of Science.” Genre (Volume 16, Winter 1983). University of Oklahoma.

More, Thomas. Utopia. Seattle: Amazon, 2014. Kindle edition.

Wikipedia contributors, "Science fiction prototyping," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Science_fiction_prototyping&oldid=953944570  (accessed October 6, 2020).

 

A New Hobby

As I’m sure is true for all of us, pandemic life gets to me every once in a while. I’ve gone down the darkly beckoning rabbit holes of despair plenty, and each time I wonder what else I could be doing with my time. 

I’ve often heard it said that in times like this, it’s good to try a new hobby or skill. People I know are trying it and thriving. 

I’ve decided to start pursuing a full-bore self-directed study of the works, history, and subgenres of science fiction. I don’t mean binge-watching all the Star Wars movies; I mean from a literary and academic standpoint. 

Since July, I’ve been laying the groundwork for this; researching resources, assessing my motivation, and gauging the “how”. Not only are we living in the age of COVID-19, the Trumpster fire, 60s-style protests, double-barrel hurricanes, and murder hornets, we’re also living in an astonishingly well-stocked world of free learning. Syllabi, video lectures, classes, books, scholarly research; it’s ALL out there. I’m pretty sure I could come close to degree-level knowledge without spending much more than what one might possibly spend on the occasional visit to Barnes & Noble (if you’re new here, that was a chain of coffee/gift shops that also sold some books). 

I’m a little leery of the nerdiness-factor of this pursuit, but you know what? Fuck it. I’m already a huge nerd and a 49-year-old grownass man that still gets a little excited about the pew-pew-pew while being able to geek out over the difference between an anti-utopia and a uchronia while having a huge mancrush on H.G. Wells and the size of his enormous intellect and if you don’t like it you can eat your own wormhole.

So yeah. This is happening.

(Originally posted 9/2/2020 via Facebook.)

2016: The Year I Was As Successful As All My Other Years

Yeah, so I keep saying I'm a writer. I write stuff. I do. I don't have any discipline, though. I see all my writer buddies posting about their year in review and I'm like, "I SUCK!"

But I don't. I do write stuff. In fact I wrote a few things last year. I have half a dozen stories finished that I submitted for publication, too. In fact, I got a total of 16 rejections. If you buy into the mantra that every rejection is one step closer to publication, you'll see I'm still not published. Meh.

I'm 6,000 words into the rough draft of a new novel. It's mostly planned out. It has potential

I did the Story-A-Day challenge and have about 20 more story ideas, not counting the above, that are awaiting fleshiness.

I posted 15 times to my blog.

(sigh)

I have a reasonable excuse about my lack of productivity, though. Since June I've actually gotten off my rear end and started biking with some regularity. I'm averaging around 2.5 rides a week and 7.5 miles per ride. Yeah, I'm going blame it on trying to get less fat. The getting less fat, and more fit, is working, but I have a way to go.

So. My goals for 2017? Keep writing. Keep submitting. I have a full-time job and a family so I have to keep all that balanced. Sure would be nice to get a paid credit. C'mon, 2017!

Why It's Hard To Write: Douchebags & Jackholes

I'm sitting in the break room at work, trying to write on my own time, when these three knuckleheads come in and start debating last night's Panthers game.

Fine. It's a free country. Knock yourselves out. Had I watched last night I might even care. I focus and press on.

Then, Mr. Most-Vocal blurts out, "They should just do away with the extra point. It's irrelevant anyway."

Uh, no. The game is called "football". They'd have to change the name if they took away the only foot-driven way of scoring. What are you, a tourist?

Then, as part of his bloviated airtight theory on how team X can be invincible, he blurts out, "Irregardless..."

My knuckles whiten. 

Then some other douchebag walks in with a handheld coffee grinder.

Just.

Walking.

Around.

Grinding.

And so, having had these stakes driven through its inspirational heart, my writing session has been thoroughly assassinated. Thanks, jackholes.

Developing the New Book, part 3

Got so excited planning I couldn't take it anymore. Wrote just shy of 1000 words today. The spreadsheet is around 90% done in terms of major story beats, and about 30% done in terms of minor ones. Thinking through that much has motivated me so much. Today's writing has gotten me through a prelude and a scene. 

I may have even decided on a title. I'm fighting the urge to share it since it's way too early!

Developing the New Book, Part 2

As of this afternoon I've roughly mapped out all the beats of this new book based on Snyder's story beat approach, except for the opening and closing images. I figure I'll add them later on as the writing progresses.

This evening, I created an excel spreadsheet based on the handwritten one JK Rowling used to develop her Harry Potter work. I'll use this to fine tune the beats, sequencing details, and character activity as I finalize the plan for the book. Columns include Chapter, Scene, Day, Beat, Plot Summary, and a column for each character.

Using this method has helped me envision a story more completely than I ever have before. I'm very excited about it. My next step will be to complete the spreadsheet, use it to complete the plot and work around any holes, then begin the writing process.

SUPER STOKED!

Started Writing a New Book Tonight

Tonight, I started work on what I hope will be a new novel. After spending about 2 weeks learning about Blake Snyder's story beats, I spent this evening developing the first several beats of this new work. I'm about halfway through mapping it out, and I can see the rest of the story quite clearly. 

I am using a well-known story as a template of sorts (think O Brother Where Art Thou?/The Odyssey and Ready Player One/The Wizard of Oz), which feels kinda like cheating, but also not. Snyder teaches that most movies (and I see this readily applying to any kind of story) have the same structure of beats. In this sense, coupled with the fact that all characters, settings, and actual writing are entirely my own, I feel quite comfortable with the approach.

Not only is the approach entirely new for me, so is the genre and subject matter. Needless to say, I'm quite stoked. Let's see if I can keep that fire alive!