Comment on A Rant About “Technology” (2005)parentComments−theptip1moI agree that the ansible isn’t hard sci-fi, it’s not defined rigorously IIRC.However I don’t think hard sci-fi has ever been strictly limited to known physics. It just requires consistency with it.Greg Egan is one of the OGs of hard sci-fi, and a lot of his work is borderline psychedelic in how far he takes speculative-yet-consistent physics.There are plenty of physically consistent “FTL” mechanisms in the family of “bend spacetime” that don’t violate c and have not been disproven.−ghusto1moThat's the difference though. Knowing enough about science to be creative with it vs. knowing little about science so you just write whatever you like.
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I agree that the ansible isn’t hard sci-fi, it’s not defined rigorously IIRC.
However I don’t think hard sci-fi has ever been strictly limited to known physics. It just requires consistency with it.
Greg Egan is one of the OGs of hard sci-fi, and a lot of his work is borderline psychedelic in how far he takes speculative-yet-consistent physics.
There are plenty of physically consistent “FTL” mechanisms in the family of “bend spacetime” that don’t violate c and have not been disproven.
That's the difference though. Knowing enough about science to be creative with it vs. knowing little about science so you just write whatever you like.