--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Many a fine SF story uses science or…" description: "\"Many a fine SF story uses science or technology merely as backdrop. Many a fine SF story presumes a technological breakthrough and explores its implica..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9b/edward-m-lerner-19914_actual_many-a-fine-sf-story-uses-science-or-tec_2924755.jpg" --- # Many a fine SF story uses science or technology merely as… ![“Many a fine SF story uses science or technology merely as backdrop. Many a fine SF story presumes a technological breakthrough and explores its implications without attempting to predict how the thing might actual work.” quote by Edward M. Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9b/edward-m-lerner-19914_actual_many-a-fine-sf-story-uses-science-or-tec_2924755.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9b/edward-m-lerner-19914_actual_many-a-fine-sf-story-uses-science-or-tec_2924755.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9b/edward-m-lerner-19914_actual_many-a-fine-sf-story-uses-science-or-tec_2924755.jpg) > “Many a fine SF story uses science or technology merely as backdrop. Many a fine SF story presumes a technological breakthrough and explores its implications without attempting to predict how the thing might actual work.” [Edward M. Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-m-lerner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Science fiction often uses technology as a setting to explore societal impacts rather than technical details. **In simple terms:** SF focuses on ideas, not gadgets. Key Takeaway Explore consequences of tech changes. Themes science fiction technology society Mood analytical inquisitive Type literary educational When to use this quote - creative writing workshops - policy analysis - education Key Concepts speculative storytelling future studies Questions to Reflect On - What societal issue could be examined through a tech lens? - How does focusing on impact change narrative tone? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on tech can ignore human factors. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Breakthrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breakthrough/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [Some stories, she’d say, the more you tell them, the faster you use them up. 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That means that the writer should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederik-pohl/the-future-depicted-in-a-good-sf-story-ought-to-be-in-fact-possible/) [Frederik Pohl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederik-pohl/) > [I'm a physicist and computer scientist by training. I worked in high tech for thirty years as everything from engineer to senior vice president…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-m-lerner/i-m-a-physicist-and-computer-scientist-by-training-i-worked-in-high/) [Edward M. Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-m-lerner/) > [What SF author or fan isn't interested in human space travel? I've yet to meet one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-m-lerner/what-sf-author-or-fan-isn-t-interested-in-human-space-travel-i-ve-yet/) [Edward M. Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-m-lerner/) > [What kind of hard SF do I write? Everything from near-future, Earth-centric techno-thrillers to far-future, far-flung interstellar epics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-m-lerner/what-kind-of-hard-sf-do-i-write-everything-from-near-future-earth/) [Edward M. Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-m-lerner/) > [I have to believe SF writers will continue to inspire the public to have faith in - to demand! - a future that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-m-lerner/i-have-to-believe-sf-writers-will-continue-to-inspire-the-public-to/) [Edward M. Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-m-lerner/) > [In mainstream literature, a trope is a figure of speech: metaphor, simile, irony, or the like. Words used other than literally. In SF, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-m-lerner/in-mainstream-literature-a-trope-is-a-figure-of-speech-metaphor/) [Edward M. Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-m-lerner/) > [A large fraction of the most interesting scientists have read a lot of SF at one time or another, either early enough that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederik-pohl/a-large-fraction-of-the-most-interesting-scientists-have-read-a-lot/) [Frederik Pohl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederik-pohl/) > [“How can so many (white, male) writers narratively justify restricting the agency of their female characters on the grounds of sexism = authenticity while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foz-meadows/how-can-so-many-white-male-writers-narratively-justify-restricting/) [Foz Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foz-meadows/) > [Tor.com has been a venue for original SF and fantasy since 2008, but we've never formalized our process for submissions. Indeed, for a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-nielsen-hayden/tor-com-has-been-a-venue-for-original-sf-and-fantasy-since-2008-but/) [Patrick Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-nielsen-hayden/) > [“But what if things aren’t what they seem? As you said, there is no truth in the Digital Sea.” “Eventually we must cling to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carpenter/but-what-if-things-aren-t-what-they-seem-as-you-said-there-is-no/) Thomas Carpenter > [To my mind, the best SF addresses itself to problems of the here and now, or even to problems which have never been solved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sladek/to-my-mind-the-best-sf-addresses-itself-to-problems-of-the-here-and/) [John Sladek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sladek/) > [The SF genre, of course, is really an organically evolved, marketplace-determined, idiosyncratic grab bag of themes and signifiers and characters and icons and gadgets,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-di-filippo/the-sf-genre-of-course-is-really-an-organically-evolved-marketplace/) [Paul Di Filippo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-di-filippo/) ## More by Edward M. Lerner > [Time travel offends our sense of cause and effect - but maybe the universe doesn't insist on cause and effect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-m-lerner/time-travel-offends-our-sense-of-cause-and-effect-but-maybe-the/) [Edward M. Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-m-lerner/) > [Some books are serials, not to be mistaken for anything else. 'The Two Towers,' for example, ought never to be read in isolation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-m-lerner/some-books-are-serials-not-to-be-mistaken-for-anything-else-the-two/) [Edward M. Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-m-lerner/) > [“Examining the new assailants, the predator inferred something of vital importance: These creatures had been crafted specifically to attack it. The predator had no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-m-lerner/examining-the-new-assailants-the-predator-inferred-something-of-vital/) [Edward M. Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-m-lerner/) > [Authors like reading. Go figure. So it's not surprising that we sometimes bog down in the research stage of new writing projects.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-m-lerner/authors-like-reading-go-figure-so-it-s-not-surprising-that-we/) [Edward M. Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-m-lerner/) > [In mainstream literature, a trope is a figure of speech: metaphor, simile, irony, or the like. Words used other than literally. In SF, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-m-lerner/in-mainstream-literature-a-trope-is-a-figure-of-speech-metaphor/) [Edward M. Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-m-lerner/) > [I have to believe SF writers will continue to inspire the public to have faith in - to demand! - a future that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-m-lerner/i-have-to-believe-sf-writers-will-continue-to-inspire-the-public-to/) [Edward M. Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-m-lerner/) > [Lots of science fiction deals with distant times and places. Intrepid prospectors in the Asteroid Belt. Interstellar epics. Galactic empires. Trips to the remote…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-m-lerner/lots-of-science-fiction-deals-with-distant-times-and-places-intrepid/) [Edward M. Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-m-lerner/) > [One doesn't just wander unvetted into someone else's epic interstellar future history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-m-lerner/one-doesn-t-just-wander-unvetted-into-someone-else-s-epic/) [Edward M. Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-m-lerner/) > [Readers and viewers will differ about what's totally standalone, what's totally serially dependent, and what's merely enriched by reading/viewing in a particular order.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-m-lerner/readers-and-viewers-will-differ-about-what-s-totally-standalone-what/) [Edward M. Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-m-lerner/) > [What SF author or fan isn't interested in human space travel? I've yet to meet one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-m-lerner/what-sf-author-or-fan-isn-t-interested-in-human-space-travel-i-ve-yet/) [Edward M. Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-m-lerner/) > [The scope of what I have to say determines the length of what I write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-m-lerner/the-scope-of-what-i-have-to-say-determines-the-length-of-what-i-write/) [Edward M. Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-m-lerner/) > [Science works as a way to make sense of life and the universe. Hard SF as my preferred fictional genre just feels natural.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-m-lerner/science-works-as-a-way-to-make-sense-of-life-and-the-universe-hard-sf/) [Edward M. Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-m-lerner/) > [History buffs expect historical background in historical fiction. Mystery readers expect forensics and police procedure in crime fiction. Westerns - gasp - describe the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-m-lerner/history-buffs-expect-historical-background-in-historical-fiction/) [Edward M. Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-m-lerner/) > [It would help if human experts agreed on the meaning of such basic terms as intelligence, consciousness, or awareness. They don't. It's hard to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-m-lerner/it-would-help-if-human-experts-agreed-on-the-meaning-of-such-basic/) [Edward M. Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-m-lerner/) > [I'm a physicist and computer scientist by training. I worked in high tech for thirty years as everything from engineer to senior vice president…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-m-lerner/i-m-a-physicist-and-computer-scientist-by-training-i-worked-in-high/) [Edward M. Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-m-lerner/) [Explore all 30 Edward M. Lerner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-m-lerner/) ## More Actual quotes > [Imagination is a pretty powerful thing, and when you're in the moment and you're riding a train and you're asked to look scared, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pine/imagination-is-a-pretty-powerful-thing-and-when-you-re-in-the-moment/) [Chris Pine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pine/) > [Unlike the actual, the fictional explains itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/unlike-the-actual-the-fictional-explains-itself/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [To cover politics in Washington allows you to live in the very, very wide gap between what the actual truth is, and how people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/to-cover-politics-in-washington-allows-you-to-live-in-the-very-very/) [Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/) > [If the first bite is with the eye and the second with the nose, some people will never take that third, actual bite if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yotam-ottolenghi/if-the-first-bite-is-with-the-eye-and-the-second-with-the-nose-some/) [Yotam Ottolenghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yotam-ottolenghi/) > [All my notebooks would be filled with lyrics instead of actual notes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/koffee/all-my-notebooks-would-be-filled-with-lyrics-instead-of-actual-notes/) [Koffee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/koffee/) > [In the U.S., it's like, you start with a great script, and then on set - not everybody, but definitely in the Apatow group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hader/in-the-u-s-it-s-like-you-start-with-a-great-script-and-then-on-set/) [Bill Hader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hader/) > [Seeing the actual, 'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe', I absolutely loved it. It became one of my favorite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-poulter/seeing-the-actual-the-chronicles-of-narnia-the-lion-the-witch-and-the/) [Will Poulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-poulter/) > [All actual life is encounter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-buber/all-actual-life-is-encounter/) [Martin Buber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-buber/) > [I heard I won 'best butt crack' on television recently. It's true. I did it, you guys. I made it. I wish I got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-edelstein/i-heard-i-won-best-butt-crack-on-television-recently-it-s-true-i-did/) [Lisa Edelstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-edelstein/) > [Technically and logically speaking, actual Victorian science fiction writers cannot be dubbed 'steampunks.' 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