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Fantascience Digest, v. 2, issue 4, May-June 1939

Page 24

Page 24                             FANTASCIENCE DIGEST
/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o
            THE REASON FOR SCIENCE FICTION
              By FRED W. FISCHER
/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o
   In general, science fiction is actually even more prophetic than most people believe. "What the mind can conceive, man can do." This type of literature should be inspirational in providing invention with further field of endeavor. 
   
   Not now, perhaps, but within the next ten thousand years men will be rocketing from star to star by utilizing the tapped energy of the atom or of the ether itself -- I KNOW this will be so, because even continual wars cannot confine science to the limiting creation of instruments of destruction alone. Humanity cannot be held in check always at the start of actual progress toward finer and more useful discoveries. 

   Science fiction also furnishes diversion to persons with slightly warped minds -- that is, those of us who have perhaps  too vivid imaginations and are regarded by our contemporaries as having been born too soon. Personally, I like to get away from the humdrum world by excursions into impossibility (or rather, improbability). If I HAVE been born in advance of my time, I can at least vicariously exist and live in the future through scientifiction.

   We enjoy dreaming of the wonders to come; the wonders that were. Science fiction, besides providing prophetic vision also gives us greater knowledge and understanding of the past. You and I know more of the history of this planet as regards its physical creation and continuance, than nine out of ten college professors. We know of the birth of the world, the chemical processes which coalesced and exploded to bring forth a world. Most people NEVER know why Earth is, or why it winds eternally around the parent sun. They don't even know the sun IS the parent.

   Science fiction, then, is educational. It is inspirational. It is escape!
/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o
                       COMING SOON
               THE PLANET OF ILLUSION
                             by
                    Millard Verne Gordon
                                 -also-
                                VIBRATION
                                   by
                     Robert W. Lowndes
THESE and other excellent short stories will soon make their appearances in FANTASCIENCE DIGEST. Watch future issues of FD!

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Page 24 FANTASCIENCE DIGEST /o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o THE REASON FOR SCIENCE FICTION By FRED W. FISCHER /o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o In general, science fiction is actually even more prophetic than most people believe. "What the mind can conceive, man can do." This type of literature should be inspirational in providing invention with further field of endeavor. Not now, perhaps, but within the next ten thousand years men will be rocketing from star to star by utilizing the tapped energy of the atom or of the ether itself -- I KNOW this will be so, because even continual wars cannot confine science to the limiting creation of instruments of destruction alone. Humanity cannot be held in check always at the start of actual progress toward finer and more useful discoveries. Science fiction also furnishes diversion to persons with slightly warped minds -- that is, those of us who have perhaps too vivid imaginations and are regarded by our contemporaries as having been born too soon. Personally, I like to get away from the humdrum world by excursions into impossibility (or rather, improbability). If I HAVE been born in advance of my time, I can at least vicariously exist and live in the future through scientifiction. We enjoy dreaming of the wonders to come; the wonders that were. Science fiction, besides providing prophetic vision also gives us greater knowledge and understanding of the past. You and I know more of the history of this planet as regards its physical creation and continuance, than nine out of ten college professors. We know of the birth of the world, the chemical processes which coalesced and exploded to bring forth a world. Most people NEVER know why Earth is, or why it winds eternally around the parent sun. They don't even know the sun IS the parent. Science fiction, then, is educational. It is inspirational. It is escape! /o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o COMING SOON THE PLANET OF ILLUSION by Millard Verne Gordon -also- VIBRATION by Robert W. Lowndes THESE and other excellent short stories will soon make their appearances in FANTASCIENCE DIGEST. Watch future issues of FD!