Actual science in science fiction

[james_davis_nicoll]

Not applied sciences, I mean, or feats of engineering but the actual process of science. Is this a suitable topic for SF, by which I mean "can it be the seed for a story?" Or maybe better yet, "how does one use it as the seed for a story?"

One example would be the Steerswoman books. I think part of what makes that possible is that the protagonist is discovering scientific models that we are already familiar with, so the author is not saddled with the problem of coming up with a new scientific model.

I am not fussy about "Yes, this was cutting edge science 200 years ago and it still is today" stories, where whatever bit of pop-science that made the cover of DISCOVER is still new and exciting centuries from now.

Comments

Re: I probably should have clarified that I meant non-nonsensical science.

[shimgray.livejournal.com]

Considering your points above, would this make Forty Signs Of Rain - where IIRC the protagonists are mostly scientists, mostly doing paperwork - class as what's being looked for?

Re: I probably should have clarified that I meant non-nonsensical science.

[james-nicoll.livejournal.com]

As I recall, and lord knows I never allow my personal beliefs to bias my perception of KSR's fiction, that book ends with a rousing call to make the NSF more responsive to the *right kind* of political agenda, something that worked out so well for Lysenko.

Re: I probably should have clarified that I meant non-nonsensical science.

[shimgray.livejournal.com]

I've taken to quietly pushing the Clever Conclusions of any given KSR work aside and enjoying the story. I suspect this may not be the intended way to read them, but hey, it works. (Actually, as soon as they had the big flood I had to go collect someone from the station and stop reading, so I tend to forget the end...)