How Realistic is Science Fiction?

         Another claim often made against science fiction's positive effects is that it is unrealistic.  They say that some concepts of science fiction are unrealistic.  In reality there are not many known planets and none of them that we do know can support life.  It is common for science fiction to use faster than light travel, which defies the known laws of physics.  They claim that Science Fiction no longer relies on science and has become more of a futuristic fantasy.  The fact that some concepts of science fiction are unrealistic result from the fact that it is fiction.  Fiction is by nature not true, and much of science fiction may never come true.  
        Some of the questionable material proposed in Science Fiction is classified as Pseudoscience.  "Pseudoscience is defined here as "claims presented so that they appear [to be] scientific even though they lack supporting evidence and plausibility" (Shermer 1997, p. 33). In contrast, science is "a set of methods designed to describe and interpret observed and inferred phenomena, past or present, and aimed at building a testable body of knowledge open to rejection or confirmation" (Shermer 1997, p. 17). According to one group studying such phenomena, pseudoscience topics include yogi flying, therapeutic touch, astrology, fire walking, voodoo magical thinking, Uri Gellar, alternative medicine, channeling, Carlos hoax, psychic hotlines and detectives, near-death experiences, Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs), the Bermuda Triangle, homeopathy, faith healing, and reincarnation (Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal)...  Concerns have been raised, especially in the science community, about widespread belief in pseudoscientific phenomena.[52] Scientists and others believe that the media, and in particular, the entertainment industry, may be at least partially responsible for the large numbers of people who believe in astrology, ESP, alien abductions, and other forms of pseudoscience.[53] Because not everyone who watches shows with pseudoscientific themes perceives such fare as merely entertaining fiction, there is concern that the unchallenged manner in which some mainstream media portray pseudoscientific phenomena is exacerbating the problem and contributing to the public's scientific illiteracy.[54] Belief in pseudoscience may indicate a lack of critical thinking skills (Maienschein et al., 1999)."[1]
        To answer the charge that much of the science behind it seems impossible, I will point out that a hundred years ago we thought that flying was impossible.  Many of today’s inventions were predicted by H.G. Wells, an early science fiction writer.  He wrote about going to the moon, flying, and submarines.    Faster than light travel may be just around the corner with the right breakthroughs even though it defies the know laws of physics.  We once thought that the world was flat.  Theories are made to be disproved. The technology in a science fiction novel is a combination of our current technology, the author’s vision of the future, and the author’s need for technology to convey his purpose.  This may result in technology that seems impossible, but who is to say what is possible and impossible.  As for pseudoscience I think that Robert L. Park said it best in the article "  [P]eople drawn to [pseudoscience long] for a world that is some other way than the way it is. They pose no great threat to science. [Pseudoscience] is a sort of background noise, annoying, but rarely rising to a level that seriously interferes with genuine scientific discourse" (Park 2000a).[1]

1. Division of Science Resource Statistics "Science Fiction and
         Pseudoscience." Science and Technology:  Public Attitudes and          Public Understanding. April  2002. National Science Foundation.
         Dec. 16, 2002. http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/srs/seind02/c7/c7s5.htm