Sir Arthur C Clarke

Yesterday marked the death of Sir Arthur C Clarke the science fiction writer. Many I suppose fail to understand or appreciate the significance of Science Fiction as a genre and, therefore, the impact the loss of such a visionary as Sir Arthur represents.

Clarke co-wrote or edited over 100 books where, in many of which he predicted, with remarkable accuracy, such developments as the moon landings, space travel, communications satellites, compact computers, cloning, commercial hovercraft and a slew of other scientific developments – though sometimes he was also, inevitably, wide of the mark. It is this ability, to shine a light, however dim, into the future that makes Science Fiction such a fascinating area of fiction. When I was first introduce to this type of writing, back in the 1960’s, people often scoffed at me for reading such “rubbish” asking how could I take seriously an imagined world where the hero, in his spaceship, takes an entire meal from the freezer and heats it up, ready to serve, in minutes? How could I believe that anyone would have, in their pocket, a universal communicator that would not only enable them to speak with almost anyone on the planet but would also mean that they were reachable almost anywhere?

Not only does Sci-Fi have this uncanny ability of showing us how future technologies may develop, it is also provides a fantastic ‘futurescope’ for looking at trends in our society. Sir Arthur C Clarke, like many Science Fiction authors, he also investigated the strange new worlds of an almost mystical or metaphysical sort, in which advanced cultures, often benevolent, allow humanity to transcend their Earth-bound beginnings. In this area of its field Science Fiction writers can ask us uncomfortable questions about the world we are creating and the destinations we are, socially, headed towards. In this light George Orwell can also be considered a Science Fiction writer.

So, the next time you are tempted to dismiss that brightly covered paperback with the alien monster on the cover remember it may contain an uncanny and often unsettling picture of what our society could be like if we don’t make a change.