It is changing, continuing, and inevitable change that is the dominant factor in society today. Science fiction may seem trivial to blind critics and philosophers of today but in its essence, it is needed for our own salvation.

Science fiction is the most important literature of the world because it's the history of ideas, our civilization's birth, and it's central to everything we've done.

Let us think the unthinkable, do the undoable, and prepare to grapple with the ineffable itself, and see if we may not eff it after all.

I bet on science as helping us. I have yet to see how it endangers us fundamentally. Science has given us more lives than it has taken; we must remember that.

Science fiction is a way of thinking. It is a way of logic that bypasses a lot of nonsense. It allows people to look directly at important subjects.

There's no real objection to escapism. We all want to escape occasionally. Science fiction is often very far from escapism but it's a fiction that does concern itself with real issues: the origin of man; our future.Science fiction is very much concerned with real issues, reality.

<figure><img alt="" src="https://miro.medium.com/max/500/1*dmOTakr-P5kmRZcfWAClCA" width="680" height="454"></figure>Science fiction is the telescope that looks into the future. Through science fiction literature and films, we are able to address technological change, existential risks, and cultural crises that may define our future. This form of deep imagination is the ultimate form of preparation. It not only allows us to speculate what the future could look like, it also gives us tools to draw from when/if these or similar events actually take place.To help prove our point, here are how some of the greatest sci-fi minds speak about the value of the genre. 😏🚀<h2 data-selectable-paragraph="">Isaac Asimov:</h2><BLOCKQUOTE>“It is change, continuing change, inevitable change, that is the dominant factor in society today. No sensible decision can be made any longer without taking into account not only the world as it is, but the world as it will be…Science fiction writers foresee the inevitable, and although problems and catastrophes may be inevitable, solutions are not.Individual science fiction stories may seem as trivial as ever to the blinder critics and philosophers of today — but the core of science fiction, its essence…has become crucial to our salvation if we are to be saved at all.”</BLOCKQUOTE><h2 data-selectable-paragraph="">Ray Bradbury:</h2><BLOCKQUOTE>“Science fiction is the most important literature in the history of the world, because it’s the history of ideas, the history of our civilization birthing itself. …Science fiction is central to everything we’ve ever done, and people who make fun of science fiction writers don’t know what they’re talking about.”</BLOCKQUOTE><BLOCKQUOTE>“We need not to be let alone. We need to be really bothered once in a while. How long is it since you were really bothered? About something important, about something real?”</BLOCKQUOTE><h2 data-selectable-paragraph="">Douglas Adams:</h2><BLOCKQUOTE>“Let us think the unthinkable, let us do the undoable, let us prepare to grapple with the ineffable itself, and see if we may not eff it after all.”</BLOCKQUOTE><h2 data-selectable-paragraph="">Philip K. Dick:</h2><BLOCKQUOTE>“I, for one, bet on science as helping us. I have yet to see how it fundamentally endangers us, even with the H-bomb lurking about. Science has given us more lives than it has taken; we must remember that.”</BLOCKQUOTE><h2 data-selectable-paragraph="">Gene Roddenberry:</h2><BLOCKQUOTE>“For me science fiction is a way of thinking, a way of logic that bypasses a lot of nonsense. It allows people to look directly at important subjects.”</BLOCKQUOTE><h2 data-selectable-paragraph="" dir="ltr">And finally, Arthur Clarke:</h2><BLOCKQUOTE>“There’s no real objection to escapism, in the right places… We all want to escape occasionally. But science fiction is often very far from escapism, in fact you might say that science fiction is escape into reality… It’s a fiction which does concern itself with real issues: the origin of man; our future. In fact I can’t think of any form of literature which is more concerned with real issues, reality.”</BLOCKQUOTE><h2 data-selectable-paragraph="">Mission Daily</h2><h1 data-selectable-paragraph="">The Future Of Humanity With A.G. Riddle</h1>99.9% of species that have ever existed on the planet have gone extinct. What makes humans any different?In this interview, Chad sits down with sci-fi author and entrepreneur A.G. “Gerry” Riddle to discuss the future of humanity. They touch on everything from how media and human interaction will change in the coming millennia to how we can prepare for interaction with interstellar beings.<h2 data-selectable-paragraph="">Deep Dive</h2><h1 data-selectable-paragraph="">Why Society Needs Science Fiction</h1><BLOCKQUOTE>“As well as considering the effects of current and developing technologies, science fiction can help address long-term problems, such as global warming. It can help with the development of space exploration, and prepare us for problems we may not anticipate. One day, time travel, teleportation, or the genetic engineering of humans may happen, we might communicate with aliens, invent simulated realities, or build intelligent robots, and we’ll be better prepared to deal with these, and other potential dilemmas, if we have already thought about them.”</BLOCKQUOTE><h2 data-selectable-paragraph="">#WhatWeAreReading</h2><h1 data-selectable-paragraph="">The Changeling</h1>We recently raided our local used bookstore and found a bunch of old sci-fi novels. 📚🤓Among the haul, we picked up a copy of The Changeling by A.E. Van Vogt. Van Vogt is often credited with having a strong influence on today’s famous sci-fi writers, most notably Philip K. Dick. First published in 1944, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Changeling-Van-Vogt/dp/B000NYEBGC" rel="noopener nofollow" dir="ltr">The Changeling</a> is a classic Van Vogt novel and one that we are really enjoying!And If you want more sci-fi, don’t forget to check out <a href="https://www.amazon.com/A.G.-Riddle/e/B00C32LQBK/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1" rel="noopener nofollow" dir="ltr">A.G. Riddle’s collection</a> of books. His latest is <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Winter-World-Long-Book-ebook/dp/B07N32K12H" rel="noopener nofollow" dir="ltr">Winter World</a> and we can’t recommend it enough. 👽<h2 data-selectable-paragraph="" dir="ltr">Sign Off 👋</h2><h1 data-selectable-paragraph="">Happy Friday!</h1>Thanks for tuning into Past, Present, Future Week! 🚀Be sure rejoin us on Monday to explore next week’s theme: Leadership! You’ll hear interviews from business owners and C-level executives who share their experience managing organizations.Have ideas for theme weeks we should cover in the future? Let us know by replying to this email or connecting with us on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/TheMissionHQ" rel="noopener nofollow" dir="ltr">@TheMissionHQ</a>! 🤗Have a great weekend!This was originally published on April 12, 2019 as the Mission’s daily newsletter. To subscribe, <a href="http://mission.org/" rel="noopener nofollow" dir="ltr">go here</a>.<h2 data-selectable-paragraph="">About Us</h2><a href="https://mission.org/studios/?utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_content=bottom" rel="noopener nofollow" dir="ltr">Mission.org</a> is a new kind of media company. We publish stories, videos, and podcasts to help smart people get smarter.<h2 data-selectable-paragraph="">Custom Podcasts</h2>Mission.org helps mission-driven companies build trust and connect with customers in a new way. We create custom podcast sponsorships for enterprise companies. To learn more about why companies like Salesforce trust us to produce results, connect with our team <a href="https://mission.org/studios/?utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_content=bottom" rel="noopener nofollow" dir="ltr">here</a>.

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Science fiction is the telescope that looks into the future. Through science fiction literature and films, we are able to address technological change, existential risks, and cultural crises that may define our future. This form of deep imagination is the ultimate form of preparation. It not only allows us to speculate what the future could look like, it also gives us tools to draw from when/if these or similar events actually take place.

To help prove our point, here are how some of the greatest sci-fi minds speak about the value of the genre. 😏🚀

“It is change, continuing change, inevitable change, that is the dominant factor in society today. No sensible decision can be made any longer without taking into account not only the world as it is, but the world as it will be…Science fiction writers foresee the inevitable, and although problems and catastrophes may be inevitable, solutions are not.

Individual science fiction stories may seem as trivial as ever to the blinder critics and philosophers of today — but the core of science fiction, its essence…has become crucial to our salvation if we are to be saved at all.”

“Science fiction is the most important literature in the history of the world, because it’s the history of ideas, the history of our civilization birthing itself. …Science fiction is central to everything we’ve ever done, and people who make fun of science fiction writers don’t know what they’re talking about.”

“We need not to be let alone. We need to be really bothered once in a while. How long is it since you were really bothered? About something important, about something real?”

“Let us think the unthinkable, let us do the undoable, let us prepare to grapple with the ineffable itself, and see if we may not eff it after all.”

“I, for one, bet on science as helping us. I have yet to see how it fundamentally endangers us, even with the H-bomb lurking about. Science has given us more lives than it has taken; we must remember that.”

“For me science fiction is a way of thinking, a way of logic that bypasses a lot of nonsense. It allows people to look directly at important subjects.”

“There’s no real objection to escapism, in the right places… We all want to escape occasionally. But science fiction is often very far from escapism, in fact you might say that science fiction is escape into reality… It’s a fiction which does concern itself with real issues: the origin of man; our future. In fact I can’t think of any form of literature which is more concerned with real issues, reality.”

99.9% of species that have ever existed on the planet have gone extinct. What makes humans any different?

In this interview, Chad sits down with sci-fi author and entrepreneur A.G. “Gerry” Riddle to discuss the future of humanity. They touch on everything from how media and human interaction will change in the coming millennia to how we can prepare for interaction with interstellar beings.

“As well as considering the effects of current and developing technologies, science fiction can help address long-term problems, such as global warming. It can help with the development of space exploration, and prepare us for problems we may not anticipate. One day, time travel, teleportation, or the genetic engineering of humans may happen, we might communicate with aliens, invent simulated realities, or build intelligent robots, and we’ll be better prepared to deal with these, and other potential dilemmas, if we have already thought about them.”

We recently raided our local used bookstore and found a bunch of old sci-fi novels. 📚🤓

Among the haul, we picked up a copy of The Changeling by A.E. Van Vogt. Van Vogt is often credited with having a strong influence on today’s famous sci-fi writers, most notably Philip K. Dick. First published in 1944, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Changeling-Van-Vogt/dp/B000NYEBGC">The Changeling </a> is a classic Van Vogt novel and one that we are really enjoying!

And If you want more sci-fi, don’t forget to check out <a href="https://www.amazon.com/A.G.-Riddle/e/B00C32LQBK/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1">A.G. Riddle’s collection </a>of books. His latest is <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Winter-World-Long-Book-ebook/dp/B07N32K12H">Winter World </a>and we can’t recommend it enough. 👽

Thanks for tuning into Past, Present, Future Week! 🚀

Be sure rejoin us on Monday to explore next week’s theme: Leadership! You’ll hear interviews from business owners and C-level executives who share their experience managing organizations.

Have ideas for theme weeks we should cover in the future? Let us know by replying to this email or connecting with us on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/TheMissionHQ">@TheMissionHQ </a>! 🤗

This was originally published on April 12, 2019 as the Mission’s daily newsletter. To subscribe, <a href="http://mission.org/">go here </a>.

<a href="https://mission.org/studios/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_content=bottom">Mission.org </a>is a new kind of media company. We publish stories, videos, and podcasts to help smart people get smarter.

Mission.org helps mission-driven companies build trust and connect with customers in a new way. We create custom podcast sponsorships for enterprise companies. To learn more about why companies like Salesforce trust us to produce results, connect with our team <a href="https://mission.org/studios/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_content=bottom">here </a>.

A Look Into The Future: The Value of Science Fiction

ISAAC ASIMOV

RAY BRADBURY

DOUGLAS ADAMS

PHILIP K. DICK

GENE RODDENBERRY

ARTHUR CLARKE

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