The Idea of Idea-driven Science Fiction. (Screed-alert!)

[Screed]
All right, I admit it. I write idea-driven stories. Yes, I know that the current 'wisdom' says that all stories are character-driven. Nonsense! SF (short-story SF, at least) is supposed to be the literature of ideas.

The great American physicist, Isadore Rabi, divided people into two classes: physicists and civilians. I think a case can be made that SF readers can similarly be divided into science-types and, well, civilians (or geeks and wuggies).

I am a proud geek (a theoretical physicist) and converse predominately with other geeks. As to what we read: Scientists and engineers I know (who read SF) read Analog Magazine. If only they were more vocal--more visible in the SF community.

Analog has the highest circulation of any of the American SF print magazines. But its influence in the SF community at large is minimal. I've wondered why. Here are some speculations [Disclosure notice: I've sold thirty-five stories to Analog since 2003.]:

Reading about characters is easy. We know what characters are and how they usually behave. But reading about ideas can be hard. One is forced to think. I suspect, for entertainment, wuggies don't seek out media that require thought.

Reviewers, I think, are part of the problem. Since they read to review, they might not have the time and mental-space to think deeply about the stories they review. And, since much of idea-driven SF is based on science ideas, reviewers might well need a good level of science literacy. I don't think many of them are sufficiently science-literate.

I think I can safely say that scientists like science. There is a child-like, innocent enjoyment in doing science or engineering. That wide-eyed joy seems to be at odds with much of today's short-story SF. And, I think, that since most people can't give a coherent description of how their TV sets work or how matter behaves in the quantum or General Relativity regimes, it's natural for them to discount that lack of knowledge and favor instead, tales about magic--or soft, squishy SF.

To me, much of today's short-story SF seems anti-science. How very sad.
[/Screed]

There. I feel much better now.

Despite the prospect of bringing down their wrath, I think I'll blog about reviewers soon. As the Latin goes, Quis custodiet ipsos custodes (who is to guard the guards themselves). Who then, reviews the reviewers. Perhaps that lack of review is why there are so many incompetent SF reviewers out there.