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Worlds of Design: Fantasy vs. Sci-Fi Part 1
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<blockquote data-quote="Sword of Spirit" data-source="post: 7763886" data-attributes="member: 6677017"><p>I agree that morality vs. ethics* is/can be seen as a primary indicator.</p><p></p><p>If you are <em>thinking</em> about the distinction between ethics and morality, you are at that point firmly in an ethical mindset. Morality is accessed primarily via feeling. When experiencing moral feeling, putting Good vs Evil in capital letters feels right. When not experiencing moral feeling, reactions would vary, but it probably wouldn't have the same impact. Values, importance, inherent worth, these things tend to have a moral character.</p><p></p><p>Ethics is rational, and examines consequences and desirability. It asks whether terms like "good" and "evil" are meaningful, and if so, how they should be defined. And that's assuming it chooses to ask those particular questions, amongst so many others it would rather discuss.</p><p></p><p>(Due to differences in neural configuration, most people are more prone to think in terms of one or the other of those categories (but I think most people are capable of both). I think, many times, whether a person is more configured towards one or another with determine whether, all things being equal, they will prefer sci-fi or fantasy. That's not always the case though. I assume authors tend to write according to their personal predilection for one or the other.)</p><p></p><p>So I think whether a work is primarily moral or ethical is a great indicator of whether it is fantasy or sci-fi. It's probably the distinguishing feature that has stuck with me the most since I first ran into it.</p><p></p><p>Now, obviously that isn't the whole story. But I think it perhaps addresses the essence of a work. Trappings can modify it, but that's how you get some stories that clearly feel like they fit into a different category than their trappings might indicate.</p><p></p><p>I think my best fit method for distinguishing the genres would be to go with the ethics vs. morality for the essence of the work, and then if the trappings <em>strongly</em> alter that, give it another descriptor to acknowledge that. That's why I'd go with "space" fantasy for Star Wars, for instance.</p><p></p><p></p><p>* Or even just "rational examination of consequences"</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Sword of Spirit, post: 7763886, member: 6677017"] I agree that morality vs. ethics* is/can be seen as a primary indicator. If you are [I]thinking[/I] about the distinction between ethics and morality, you are at that point firmly in an ethical mindset. Morality is accessed primarily via feeling. When experiencing moral feeling, putting Good vs Evil in capital letters feels right. When not experiencing moral feeling, reactions would vary, but it probably wouldn't have the same impact. Values, importance, inherent worth, these things tend to have a moral character. Ethics is rational, and examines consequences and desirability. It asks whether terms like "good" and "evil" are meaningful, and if so, how they should be defined. And that's assuming it chooses to ask those particular questions, amongst so many others it would rather discuss. (Due to differences in neural configuration, most people are more prone to think in terms of one or the other of those categories (but I think most people are capable of both). I think, many times, whether a person is more configured towards one or another with determine whether, all things being equal, they will prefer sci-fi or fantasy. That's not always the case though. I assume authors tend to write according to their personal predilection for one or the other.) So I think whether a work is primarily moral or ethical is a great indicator of whether it is fantasy or sci-fi. It's probably the distinguishing feature that has stuck with me the most since I first ran into it. Now, obviously that isn't the whole story. But I think it perhaps addresses the essence of a work. Trappings can modify it, but that's how you get some stories that clearly feel like they fit into a different category than their trappings might indicate. I think my best fit method for distinguishing the genres would be to go with the ethics vs. morality for the essence of the work, and then if the trappings [I]strongly[/I] alter that, give it another descriptor to acknowledge that. That's why I'd go with "space" fantasy for Star Wars, for instance. * Or even just "rational examination of consequences" [/QUOTE]
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