The point about there being different categories is one I had not thought about. I agree that the first is unambiguously iin the reactionary form. I’m not sure that the second is always reactionary: It might depend on the degree at which the technology is caricatured. Thus for example, Brave New World and Gattaca both seem to be such extreme caricatures of what might happen with those technologies that they seem reactionary. That’s in contrast with say “A Deepness in the Sky” which takes the same technologies and shows different societal responses to them (careful use, arguable abuse and outright tyranny). Similar, a lot of Bujold’s works raise serious issues about the ethical and policy issues brought up by specific, plausible technologies, but she’s generally careful to show both use and abuse, not just horrific dystopias.
agree that the first is unambiguously iin the reactionary form. I’m not sure that the second is always reactionary: It might depend on the degree at which the technology is caricatured.
This sounds a lot like just debating definitions—is “reactionary” such a useful term here? Sounds to me like you’re trying to shoehorn it in a context where it doesn’t really fit? Wouldn’t replacing it with a more precise and narrow terms make the discussion clearer—such as “romantic about traditional societies” or something?
That’s a valid point. Maybe split into two forms: 1) Romantic attitudes towards traditional societies and 2) extreme caricatures of the potential negative ramifications of new technologies. 1 and 2 both seem to be highly correlated in science fiction. Many of the examples given show aspects of both.
The point about there being different categories is one I had not thought about. I agree that the first is unambiguously iin the reactionary form. I’m not sure that the second is always reactionary: It might depend on the degree at which the technology is caricatured. Thus for example, Brave New World and Gattaca both seem to be such extreme caricatures of what might happen with those technologies that they seem reactionary. That’s in contrast with say “A Deepness in the Sky” which takes the same technologies and shows different societal responses to them (careful use, arguable abuse and outright tyranny). Similar, a lot of Bujold’s works raise serious issues about the ethical and policy issues brought up by specific, plausible technologies, but she’s generally careful to show both use and abuse, not just horrific dystopias.
This sounds a lot like just debating definitions—is “reactionary” such a useful term here? Sounds to me like you’re trying to shoehorn it in a context where it doesn’t really fit? Wouldn’t replacing it with a more precise and narrow terms make the discussion clearer—such as “romantic about traditional societies” or something?
That’s a valid point. Maybe split into two forms: 1) Romantic attitudes towards traditional societies and 2) extreme caricatures of the potential negative ramifications of new technologies. 1 and 2 both seem to be highly correlated in science fiction. Many of the examples given show aspects of both.