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Gedanken Fictions: Stories on Themes in Science, Technology, and Society
One of the main threads of science fiction has long been the dramatization of scientific and technological ideas, especially those of physics and astronomy and their effects on human lives. The purpose of this book is not to survey all of sicence fictoin, nor all of hard science fictoin, but to present a few stoires that illuminate some of the issues discussed in courses on science, technology, and society, which are currently served by nonfiction books and anthologies. This book's title, Gedanken Fictions, refers to a basic tool of science, the gedanken or thought experiment that must be used when laboratory experiments are not practical or possible. Dr. Thomas A. Easton is Professor of Life Sciences at Thomas College in Waterville, Maine. He is also the author of Taking Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in Science, Technology and Society.
- GenresScience Fiction
226 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2000
About the author
Thomas A. Easton
169 books6 followersThomas A. Easton is a teacher and well-known science fiction critic and author. He retired as a professor from Thomas College of Maine in 2014 and now teaches part-time at Mount Ida College in Newton, MA.
Easton holds a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Colby College and a doctorate in theoretical biology from the University of Chicago.
He wrote the book review column in SF magazine Analog Science Fiction and Fact from 1979 - 2009. He appears frequently at Boston-area science fiction conventions.
Easton holds a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Colby College and a doctorate in theoretical biology from the University of Chicago.
He wrote the book review column in SF magazine Analog Science Fiction and Fact from 1979 - 2009. He appears frequently at Boston-area science fiction conventions.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 26, 2021
Gedanken is German for "thought experiment". This was used as a textbook for a college class that the editor taught about SF. So go whims of what to read and how much is written. I've previously read some of these stories and read them again.
The Cold Equations - Tom Godwin (1954)
This is one of the most famous SF short stories. I often see it mentioned and discussed by authors and editors. I've read several variations by authors who wanted to present their own version. For Godwin, this was his one-hit wonder. It was controversial for its content and plausibility at the time and remains so. Some believe it to be quite the tearjerker. The plot is the trolley problem. The story is very contrived, but that's not entirely the fault of the author, as the editor, Joseph A. Campbell, refused to accept the story unless it ended in the way he preferred. Campbell was both one of the most influential and controversial figures of early SF. The Campbell Award for Best New Writer was renamed the The Astounding Award for Best New Writer in 2019.
Meh (same for all variations)
Skystalk - Charles Sheffield (1979)
1979 was was the year that space elevators were popularized by novels from Arthur C. Clarke and Sheffield. In this they are called a "beanstalk". Several other works later used this name as well. There's a bomb on the space elevator that must be disarmed. That's similar to the beginning of Chasm City by Alastair Reynolds.
Meh
Dear Colleagues - Tom Ligon (1994)
A satire about how ethical, moral, regulatory, theoretical, and other concerns only get in the way of doing real and practical hands-on science. Risks must be taken. People will die. That's science.
Blah
The Winnowing - Isaac Asimov (1976)
A neo-Malthusian story about lifeboat ethics due to being unable to support the world population in 2005 of 6 billion, which would've been 7 billion if a billion people hadn't starved to death over the past generation. The solution is to commit the greatest atrocity in history. Overpopulation was a popular SF theme in the 20th century. The world population in 2005 was 6.5 billion. Currently several million die of hunger each year. Many countries are in population decline due to sub-replacement fertility.
Blah
Outport - Garfield Reeves-Stevens (1992)
The future is a dysgenic wasteland. Any Mexican who goes north is killed by the US military. The protagonist leads a group of Americans who want Mexican children.
Blah
The Greenhouse Papers - Jeff Hecht (1991)
"The greenhouse effect is just the latest leftist cult" This story baffled me with its "science". I looked the author up. He has a twitter account. It's exactly how I expected.
Blah
Runaround - Isaac Asimov (1942)
The story that introduced The Three Laws of Robotics.
Blah
La Macchina - Chris Beckett (1991)
Robots aren't people, praise Jesus, they're better.
Blah
Learning to Be Me - Greg Egan (1990)
A story about identity, consciousness, and mind uploading.
Highly Enjoyable
Kirinyaga - Mike Resnick (1988)
On a terraformed planetoid, a tribe is determined to retain traditional African culture in contravention of the Eutopian court. The problem is their ritual infanticide. They believe children born in certain ways are demons. This won the 1989 Hugo Award for Best Short Story. It was later included in Kirinyaga, the novel. The Wikipedia pages notes that "The book and its chapters are among the most honored in science fiction history with 67 awards and nominations including two Hugo Awards."
Ok
Cryptic - Jack McDevitt (1983)
Decades ago a SETI researcher hid away incomprehensible notes. A researcher discovers the notes and is determined to understand their meaning.
Enjoyable
I Still Call Australia Home - George Turner (1990)
A spacecraft left to find a new planet to inhabit. 600 years later, 30 subjective, they return to Earth. Earth has regressed. The protagonist is sent to learn how Earth has changed.
Ok
Light of Other Days - Bob Shaw (1966)
Glass has been developed that takes light years to pass through. It's become popular to have stored scenes play in a window. If only it had stuck to that. I may look at the novel this became. This felt like it had been written more recently than 1966.
Ok
Out of Copyright - Charles Sheffield (1989)
A family retains copyright over a relative's DNA for 75 years after their death. After that the combines are allowed to bid for a single-use copyrighted clone. Each clone is indoctrinated and has no legal rights. It's an interesting idea, but the story is lacking.
Ok
Gene Wars - Paul J. McAuley (1991)
Posthumans everywhere, but that's not the life for me, says the baseline human assassin. Based on this and previous works I've read, I just don't like how McAuley writes.
Blah
Down on the Truck Farm - Thomas A. Easton (1990)
This was more a surreal fantasy than SF. People drive inside huge animals. I'm amused when an editor includes their own story.
Blah
Caught in the Organ Draft - Robert Silverberg (1972)
The young are drafted to provide organs for the old. Anyone who provides an organ is given the highest priority to receive an organ later in life. The protagonist must choose whether to continue rebelling or give in to the system.
Enjoyable
The Newest Profession - Phyllis Gotlieb (1982)
Women are paid to be surrogates for genetically modified humans who will have no rights and be sent to colonize worlds unsuitable for humans to generate profits for corporations.
Meh
Legal Rights for Germs - Joe Patrouch (1977)
A satirical story about how concern for anybody is false and profit is all that matters.
Blah
The Cold Equations - Tom Godwin (1954)
This is one of the most famous SF short stories. I often see it mentioned and discussed by authors and editors. I've read several variations by authors who wanted to present their own version. For Godwin, this was his one-hit wonder. It was controversial for its content and plausibility at the time and remains so. Some believe it to be quite the tearjerker. The plot is the trolley problem. The story is very contrived, but that's not entirely the fault of the author, as the editor, Joseph A. Campbell, refused to accept the story unless it ended in the way he preferred. Campbell was both one of the most influential and controversial figures of early SF. The Campbell Award for Best New Writer was renamed the The Astounding Award for Best New Writer in 2019.
Meh (same for all variations)
Skystalk - Charles Sheffield (1979)
1979 was was the year that space elevators were popularized by novels from Arthur C. Clarke and Sheffield. In this they are called a "beanstalk". Several other works later used this name as well. There's a bomb on the space elevator that must be disarmed. That's similar to the beginning of Chasm City by Alastair Reynolds.
Meh
Dear Colleagues - Tom Ligon (1994)
A satire about how ethical, moral, regulatory, theoretical, and other concerns only get in the way of doing real and practical hands-on science. Risks must be taken. People will die. That's science.
Blah
The Winnowing - Isaac Asimov (1976)
A neo-Malthusian story about lifeboat ethics due to being unable to support the world population in 2005 of 6 billion, which would've been 7 billion if a billion people hadn't starved to death over the past generation. The solution is to commit the greatest atrocity in history. Overpopulation was a popular SF theme in the 20th century. The world population in 2005 was 6.5 billion. Currently several million die of hunger each year. Many countries are in population decline due to sub-replacement fertility.
Blah
Outport - Garfield Reeves-Stevens (1992)
The future is a dysgenic wasteland. Any Mexican who goes north is killed by the US military. The protagonist leads a group of Americans who want Mexican children.
Blah
The Greenhouse Papers - Jeff Hecht (1991)
"The greenhouse effect is just the latest leftist cult" This story baffled me with its "science". I looked the author up. He has a twitter account. It's exactly how I expected.
Blah
Runaround - Isaac Asimov (1942)
The story that introduced The Three Laws of Robotics.
Blah
La Macchina - Chris Beckett (1991)
Robots aren't people, praise Jesus, they're better.
Blah
Learning to Be Me - Greg Egan (1990)
A story about identity, consciousness, and mind uploading.
Highly Enjoyable
Kirinyaga - Mike Resnick (1988)
On a terraformed planetoid, a tribe is determined to retain traditional African culture in contravention of the Eutopian court. The problem is their ritual infanticide. They believe children born in certain ways are demons. This won the 1989 Hugo Award for Best Short Story. It was later included in Kirinyaga, the novel. The Wikipedia pages notes that "The book and its chapters are among the most honored in science fiction history with 67 awards and nominations including two Hugo Awards."
Ok
Cryptic - Jack McDevitt (1983)
Decades ago a SETI researcher hid away incomprehensible notes. A researcher discovers the notes and is determined to understand their meaning.
Enjoyable
I Still Call Australia Home - George Turner (1990)
A spacecraft left to find a new planet to inhabit. 600 years later, 30 subjective, they return to Earth. Earth has regressed. The protagonist is sent to learn how Earth has changed.
Ok
Light of Other Days - Bob Shaw (1966)
Glass has been developed that takes light years to pass through. It's become popular to have stored scenes play in a window. If only it had stuck to that. I may look at the novel this became. This felt like it had been written more recently than 1966.
Ok
Out of Copyright - Charles Sheffield (1989)
A family retains copyright over a relative's DNA for 75 years after their death. After that the combines are allowed to bid for a single-use copyrighted clone. Each clone is indoctrinated and has no legal rights. It's an interesting idea, but the story is lacking.
Ok
Gene Wars - Paul J. McAuley (1991)
Posthumans everywhere, but that's not the life for me, says the baseline human assassin. Based on this and previous works I've read, I just don't like how McAuley writes.
Blah
Down on the Truck Farm - Thomas A. Easton (1990)
This was more a surreal fantasy than SF. People drive inside huge animals. I'm amused when an editor includes their own story.
Blah
Caught in the Organ Draft - Robert Silverberg (1972)
The young are drafted to provide organs for the old. Anyone who provides an organ is given the highest priority to receive an organ later in life. The protagonist must choose whether to continue rebelling or give in to the system.
Enjoyable
The Newest Profession - Phyllis Gotlieb (1982)
Women are paid to be surrogates for genetically modified humans who will have no rights and be sent to colonize worlds unsuitable for humans to generate profits for corporations.
Meh
Legal Rights for Germs - Joe Patrouch (1977)
A satirical story about how concern for anybody is false and profit is all that matters.
Blah
June 14, 2016
I bought this book after reading "Learning to be Me" on google's free preview, but to my disappointment, most of the stories were rather bland and uneventful. While they all touched upon interesting scifi concepts, only a few stood out to me as being more than just empty dialogue and speculation. Nevertheless, it was a good read overall and I liked how the stories were separated by topic.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews