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b_b · 4345 days ago · link · · parent · post: David Brin: The difference between Sci Fi and Fantasy is that one is for change, the other against.
Do you think this is because fantasy typically looks back, while SciFi almost invariably looks forward?
I think it's because science fiction investigates technology to determine how it would impact the human condition. That technology always comes from somewhere - it has a lineage, a creator, etc. Magic, on the other hand, just is. Jack Vance wrote about wizards writing spells and the like, but he also wrote about wizards genetically engineering perfect girls through the power of math. The Dying Earth is often listed as a seminal book behind Dungeons & Dragons but it's sci fi through'n'through.