Abstract
A major goal of the present work is to increase public awareness and appreciation of science, but the approach is somewhat unorthodox. We will use science fiction as a vehicle for exploring actual science and as a springboard for discussing some of the exciting topics that are currently being researched. Our examples will be drawn almost exclusively from film and television. Occasional references to a few of the classic works of science fiction literature are also included.
Believe none of what you hear and half of what you see.
—Benjamin Franklin
Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.
—The Queen of Hearts
Alice in Wonderland
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References
Frayling, C.: Mad, Bad and Dangerous? The scientist and the cinema, p. 48. Reaktion Books, London (2005)
Duncan, D.W.: Package essay for Landmarks of Early Film. Image Entertainment, Inc. (1994)
Hugo (Martin Scorsese, Paramount 2011). Fictionalized account of the life of motion picture pioneer Georges Méliès
Le Voyage dans la Lune (A Trip to the Moon) (Georges Méliès, 1902) in Landmarks of Early Film, Image Entertainment, Inc. 1994 [DVD chapter 25]
Verne, J.: From the Earth to the Moon and a Journey Around It (English translation), p. 76. Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York (1886)
Moonraker (Lewis Gilbert, MGM 1979). James Bond investigates the hijacking of an American space shuttle. Lethal acceleration in flight training centrifuge [DVD scene 5]
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Luokkala, B.B. (2019). Introduction: Discerning the Real, the Possible, and the Impossible. In: Exploring Science Through Science Fiction. Science and Fiction. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29393-2_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29393-2_1
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