Science Fiction and Popular Science from Ancient to Modern Times: Scientists Versus Laymen

Science fiction has become a major genre of literature in general and English literature in particular. It ranges from near fantasy to virtual hard-core science. The science involved may be mere gadgetry and may go to deeper scientific concepts. It may be of the "hard sciences" or the soft sciences. The authors are generally laymen but occasionally scientists. The attitude of the professional scientists to science fiction is somewhat ambivalent. It enjoyed little acceptability earlier but has been steadily gaining currency among scientists. Another area developed significantly over the last century is popular science. In this case the authors are generally scientists but occasionally laymen. However, the attitude of professional scientists to this area is also ambivalent. It is practically tatuological that science has had a major impact on science fiction and popular science. However, there is also a significant impact of these genres on science itself. In this article, the impact either side and the question of the effectiveness of lay authors versus scientists is explored.