It's interesting to me how many self-proclaimed sci-fi fans have never internalized the lessons of these stories beyond "spaceship good."
Because sci-fi isn't just about modern social problems in a fictional context any more than fantasy is attempting to reconstruct or rehabilitate the past.
Oftentimes it's theory crafting around how to address these problems which necessitate radical change!
@gwynnion Interesting. I think a lot of sci-fi is looking at existing situations, and seeing what happens if they progress. And by setting them in a different environment, it helps to put a focus on them.
And yes - it is about trying to see what possible solutions there might be. But often, there is just a simple "This is the implications of the current direction we are headed".
Of course, there is a lot of new versions and forms of sci-fi which are subtly different. So the genre is changing.
Nowhere Girl
Schroedingers_Cat