What is Social Science Fiction?

Science Fiction is a very broad genre. It includes everything from epic adventures in far-away galaxies, like Star Wars, to alternative history, such as Man in the High Castle. It can be dark and dystopian, like 1984, or comical and off-the-wall, such as Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Stories can take place in deep outer space, or right here on earth. The characters can be alien and so strange as to be unrecognizable, or simply human and totally relatable. Themes can range from interplanetary war to romance. And everything in between.

I am interested in writing about ideas that I call “Social Science Fiction.” When I look at our world today, and the state of humanity around the world, I wonder what could we have done differently to have a more stable, peaceful, and prosperous planet?

Are our problems caused by flawed systems of government? Does poverty exist because of unfair economic systems? If so, if we could start from scratch and design better systems, could our problems be eliminated?

Why are some interactions between human beings highly competitive, sometimes to the extreme of violence, while others are cooperative and mutually beneficial? Is this volatile and unpredictable behavior just human nature? Would other highly evolved alien species display similar behaviors, or are these uniquely human? And could a society exist devoid of all crime, war, and contention? Could homo sapiens ever achieve this?

In my writing I attempt to explore these ideas and present possible scenarios that explore what it is to be human and how we might one day improve on our current lot. I believe in order to do so we need to use our imagination, and not just continually tweak the status quo. We have to think bigger and imagine completely new ways of doing things. These ways can be explored through Social Science Fiction, and “Venerable,” is just one way.

How will it work out?

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