"My imagination makes me human and makes me a fool; it gives me all the world and exiles me from it." -Ursula K. Le Guin

Okay, so it wasn’t until pretty recently that I myself got into science fiction. But a fledgling fan is more ardent, no? I’m still in the honeymoon phase of newly discovering how much I like the genre. Instead of an old, fond love for certain books or movies, I have a semi-obsessive interest in them, and thus perhaps will be more convincing. Right?

Well, one main reason is the intellectual freedom that science fiction almost by definition enjoys. Part of its purpose is to get people thinking about issues in the society that the science fiction is being produced in, with hopes for change­. For example, Orwell’s 1984 is a novel that is concerned with political issues of the time (to put it roughly). Another purpose is speculation–to consider the various “what-ifs” afforded by advances in technology and shifts in society. To succeed in this endeavor, to be able to come up with creative situations, requires uninhibited freedom of thought. Science fiction roams all over the place when it comes to the mind, and that’s the very best thing for the development of free-thinking that there can be. To consider multiple–indeed, every–perspectives, viewpoints, possibilities, I think that there’s no better way to develop an open mind.

Additionally, science fiction is a genre that has historically not been taken seriously. This is a good thing. It can do what it wants. It is not concerned with pleasing a demanding public. It does not have to worry about trying to conform to serious convention. Like Shakespeare’s Globe theater, free from censorship due to its physical location on the outskirts of London, so too does science fiction thrive in the slums of scholarly esteem.

My favorite part about science fiction as a genre is that it gets me thinking, and in particular, it gets me to question the status quo, to question elements of my life that I may consider natural but perhaps are not. It often calls out prejudices or biases I may not have noticed before. It also often has much philosophy enmeshed within it. For example, one of my favorites, Philip K. Dick, has written much about the nature of humanity and what it means to truly be human. Through the characters he creates he guides readers to question the nature of humanity themselves, to puzzle over it and puzzle over the way that people can sometimes treat each other poorly. I think the reason why he is so effective with this is because he is writing (er, wrote) from the perspective of one who is traditionally mistreated by (American) society–he seemed to be mentally unstable, as well as poor and eccentric. Consequently, he is rather good at getting readers to empathize (which, incidentally, is a component of humanity as he imagines it).

If any of my above ramblings made sense, and you, reader, now wish to embark upon the varied journeys that science fiction can take you on, here is a super short list of books that can help you find where to start. But keep in mind that many sci-fi movies are also excellent!

1. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? – Philip K. Dick

2. A Scanner Darkly – Philip K. Dick

3. The Dispossessed – Ursula K. Le Guin

4. Anything at all by Ray Bradbury, Dandelion Wine or The Illustrated Man perhaps

5. Brave New World – Aldous Huxley (a classic for a reason)