A Si Fi watchmaker.

[Brian37]

Actually, the only sci-fi I have seen with FTL are set in the future. What the fuck is wrong with speculating what might come in the future?!?

Nothing, as long as you are not merely uttering it. Otherwise religious people are right because they point to the depictions in their books and find inspiration in those as well.

Why do you have a problem with "nobody gets a pass"? And why do you stupidly think Si fi is the only fiction people get their ideas from?

[Lemonvariable72]

So according to you Larry Niven is a prophet?

[Anomalocaris]

Why do you have a problem with "nobody gets a pass"? And why do you stupidly think Si fi is the only fiction people get their ideas from?

Because so much great literature came from getting a pass inspite of the best efforts of puritanical asses like you to suppress them for their contempt of your idea of proper rectitude.

[Brian37]

Not claiming anyone is a prophet but lots of si fi fans claim Roddenberry was a prophet, not tell me how a non scientist who merely created a tv show had scientific predictive abilities? He didn't invent anything and si fi fans like to claim he did. That to me is no different than claiming the bible or Koran have predictive powers.

[Lemonvariable72]

Not claiming anyone is a prophet but lots of si fi fans claim Roddenberry was a prophet, not tell me how a non scientist who merely created a tv show had scientific predictive abilities? He didn't invent anything and si fi fans like to claim he did. That to me is no different than claiming the bible or Koran have predictive powers.

If you point out someone who thinks Roddenberry was a prophet I'll show you a nut job. The reason that sometimes star trek seems predictive is because gene Roddenberry wanted to show us a world where everyone's right were respected, everyone had a opportunity to be educated and no body went hungry.
That is a world that the better among us work towards everyday, so yes sometimes it appears to coincide with star trek.

[Brian37]

Not claiming anyone is a prophet but lots of si fi fans claim Roddenberry was a prophet, not tell me how a non scientist who merely created a tv show had scientific predictive abilities? He didn't invent anything and si fi fans like to claim he did. That to me is no different than claiming the bible or Koran have predictive powers.

If you point out someone who thinks Roddenberry was a prophet I'll show you a nut job. The reason that sometimes star trek seems predictive is because gene Roddenberry wanted to show us a world where everyone's right were respected, everyone had a opportunity to be educated and no body went hungry.
That is a world that the better among us work towards everyday, so yes sometimes it appears to coincide with star trek.

Ok, so you agree he was not a prophet, awesome, then you can understand why science fiction is not a lab. And if you accept the bible and Koran as fiction, and non of them have predictive powers, then you should not be claiming science fiction is any better than any other type of fiction.

But you obviously don't spend that much time arguing si fi on the net because I have run into people in the past who do treat Roddenberry as an inventor and prophet.

Go find a Star Trek fan website and join. I bet if you made the same argument to them there as i have made to you now, someone will jump all over your ass. Maybe not everyone, but you are likely to find a nut or few claiming he is some sort of patent holder without using the word "patent".

[Ravenshire]

Actually, the only sci-fi I have seen with FTL are set in the future. What the fuck is wrong with speculating what might come in the future?!?

Nothing, as long as you are not merely uttering it. Otherwise religious people are right because they point to the depictions in their books and find inspiration in those as well.

You seriously seem to have a fundamental lack of understanding about what fiction is and isn't.

What fiction is:
A made up story for the sake of entertainment.

What fiction is not:
Any kind of claim about reality.

Do you think fictional stories need a disclaimer at every point where the tale describes something?
"...and he turned into a 7-foot tall, black coated werewolf (the author would like to point out that werewolves are not real and should in no way be taken as actual living creatures) and attacked..."
Do you really think that is necessary?!?

Do you understand what is meant by the phrase "suspension of dis-belief?" It's something that's required to enjoy fiction, but it is not the casual acceptance that all the claims in the story are real. It is an acceptance of the claims within, and only within, the framework of the story. Or, to put it another way, it's the acceptance of a claim or set of claims for the sake of argument.

From the above link (emphasis is mine):

Suspension of disbelief or willing suspension of disbelief is a term coined in 1817 by the poet and aesthetic philosopher Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who suggested that if a writer could infuse a "human interest and a semblance of truth" into a fantastic tale, the reader would suspend judgement concerning the implausibility of the narrative. Suspension of disbelief often applies to fictional works of the action, comedy, fantasy, and horror genres. Cognitive estrangement in fiction involves using a person's ignorance or lack of knowledge to promote suspension of disbelief.

The phrase "suspension of disbelief" came to be used more loosely in the later 20th century, often used to imply that the burden was on the reader, rather than the writer, to achieve it. This might be used to refer to the willingness of the audience to overlook the limitations of a medium, so that these do not interfere with the acceptance of those premises. These fictional premises may also lend to the engagement of the mind and perhaps proposition of thoughts, ideas, art and theories.

All that being said, authors of fiction (science or not) are going to "merely utter" some pretty fantastic (in all senses of the word) ideas. It's up to the reader/viewer to understand that waving a stick and chanting the words "wingardium leviosa" won't actually make an object fly nor can we "beam up" to a starship and "engage a warp drive" to go to another star system. It is not the author's job to footnote every little thing that doesn't conform to reality because he's not claiming they do!

Why do you have a problem with "nobody gets a pass"?

I'm not giving sci-fi a pass, chucklefuck.

And why do you stupidly think Si fi is the only fiction people get their ideas from?

This is not the first time you've accused me of this, but it is the last time I'll respond to it. I have never claimed that sci-fi is the only place fucktards get bad ideas. After all, you keep getting the idea that I've claimed that and I have no fucking idea where you get the idea that I have.

Do you even read the responses to you or do you, like the typical theist, simply argue your straw man points because you are so certain of your beliefs that anything else simply isn't an option.

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Not claiming anyone is a prophet but lots of si fi fans claim Roddenberry was a prophet, not tell me how a non scientist who merely created a tv show had scientific predictive abilities? He didn't invent anything and si fi fans like to claim he did. That to me is no different than claiming the bible or Koran have predictive powers.

Like I tell all the other theists, evidence or shut the fuck up.

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If you point out someone who thinks Roddenberry was a prophet I'll show you a nut job. The reason that sometimes star trek seems predictive is because gene Roddenberry wanted to show us a world where everyone's right were respected, everyone had a opportunity to be educated and no body went hungry.
That is a world that the better among us work towards everyday, so yes sometimes it appears to coincide with star trek.

Ok, so you agree he was not a prophet, awesome, then you can understand why science fiction is not a lab. And if you accept the bible and Koran as fiction, and non of them have predictive powers, then you should not be claiming science fiction is any better than any other type of fiction.

But you obviously don't spend that much time arguing si fi on the net because I have run into people in the past who do treat Roddenberry as an inventor and prophet.

Go find a Star Trek fan website and join. I bet if you made the same argument to them there as i have made to you now, someone will jump all over your ass. Maybe not everyone, but you are likely to find a nut or few claiming he is some sort of patent holder without using the word "patent".

For fucks sake, Brian. Quit painting with such a broad brush. No one here has made the types of claims that you are claiming. So, you've run into a few nuts on a message board. Happens on every message board. There are Bronco fans on football message boards that claim the better team lost Superbowl XXIV. So the fuck what. Should we paint all football fans as nuts because of a few?

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If you point out someone who thinks Roddenberry was a prophet I'll show you a nut job. The reason that sometimes star trek seems predictive is because gene Roddenberry wanted to show us a world where everyone's right were respected, everyone had a opportunity to be educated and no body went hungry.
That is a world that the better among us work towards everyday, so yes sometimes it appears to coincide with star trek.

Roddenberry also looked at the technology available at the time and simply extrapolated much of the future tech in Star Trek and some of what came to pass looks uncannily like what Gene proposed. He speculated, others did the science and figured out how to "make it so." That must burn Brian's ass.

[Brian37]

Our species ability to take an idea and turn it into a religion, even if it is fiction, happens all the time. It would not shock me in the least if we could fast forward in time 500 years to find a Harry Potter or Star Wars or Star Trek church because humans are nutty enough to do those things and market them. If L Ron Hubbard, can do it, so can a Star Wars fan.

[One Above All]

Lay off Futurama. That's fiction, y'know.

[Ravenshire]

Our species ability to take an idea and turn it into a religion, even if it is fiction, happens all the time. It would not shock me in the least if we could fast forward in time 500 years to find a Harry Potter or Star Wars or Star Trek church because humans are nutty enough to do those things and market them. If L Ron Hubbard, can do it, so can a Star Wars fan.

Oh, for fuck's sake, quit banging the drum. Did you not see the link I posted to the Jedi church. That's right fucking now, not 500 years from now. I suppose you're going to say that George Lucas is to blame for stupid people latching onto his idea.

The point that some people are fucking morons is more than evident. That doesn't mean that fiction of any sort, and specifically science fiction (as directly called out by you) needs any kind of watchmen set over it. Stupid people will get stupid ideas from anywhere and everywhere.

Brian, does it piss you off that the very first space shuttle built was called Enterprise?

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Lay off Futurama. That's fiction, y'know.

No way! Every one of those claims are abso-fucking-lutely TRUE!!1!!11!!!11!one!!