Today’s sage scifi discussion concerns social constructs and science fiction. What’s a social construct? Simple – A social construct is something that exists not in objective reality, but as a result of human interaction. It exists because humans agree that it exists. Another way of looking at this concept is through W.I. Thomas’s notable Thomas theorem which states, “If men define situations as real, they are real in their consequences”
I started thinking more about this after watching this social constructs video from Philosophy Tube, which reminds all of us that civilization relies on common ideas and beliefs in order to function. Here’s the problem: social constructs are tools – they’re only useful if they solve your problems.
Science fiction loves turning social constructs on their heads. That’s all we’re really doing, most of the time – taking ordinary people and subjecting them to extraordinary circumstances that, you guessed it, challenge their social constructs! 1984, Brave New World, The Handmaiden’s Tale, Ender’s Game, the Hunger Games – their metatheses has always been: change the social construct and see what happens!
Why would we do that?
How do social constructs and science fiction fit together? Intrinsically, humanity has a love-hate relationship with social constructs. We love the psychological safety of not having to figure everything out for ourselves. Simultaneously, we chafe at the idea that we aren’t ‘free’ to choose our own destiny. Again, social constructs are tools – they’re only useful if they solve your problems. Many times, social constructs result in a net negative to human society. Social constructs like racism, sexism, tribalism class systems led to war, genocide, and human suffering. Other social constructs like ‘The American Dream’ are also leading to misery. As George Carlin said: ‘It’s called the American Dream because you have to be asleep to believe it.’
So yes, social constructs exist and yes, they’re only helpful to the extent that they solve our problems. What happens when the social construct doesn’t solve everyone’s problem? Well, you get us, right now. The conflicts in our current events can be effectively categorized as ‘the clash of social constructs.’ What happens when one group believes one way, and the other group doesn’t? What happens when we’re missing a social construct like ‘tolerance,’ or we disagree on what ‘tolerance’ means? I think you know the answer to those questions – it’s plastered across the newspaper every day.
How does science fiction help?
As noted previously, science fiction has a warm, happy history of challenging or optimizing social constructs. Let’s face it: we’re good at it. Scifi is a community of ‘othered’ people. We know what it feels like to be on the outside of a social construct. Seeing and understanding social constructs for what they are, that’s our superpower.
But more is needed. As Michel de Montaigne’s wrote: “We need to interpret interpretations more than to interpret things.” Our vision is only as good as the lenses we see them through. Decades of misinformation and manipulation mean we need to up our game of re-shaping reality. It’s not enough to satirize the status quo; we need to build credibility as the good guys, the people who mean to make life better. That takes diligence, patience, and time.
I can only speak for my own efforts. Thinking carefully about social constructs in my writing, my work attacks the following social constructs:
- ‘You must be polarizing and provocative’
- ‘You must be political’
- ‘Every disagreement should turn into a fight’
- ‘Humanity will destroy itself’
However, I cannot challenge social constructs without becoming another tool for the ‘outrage/clickbait industrial complex.’ No disrespect intended to Stephen King or JK Rowling, but are they writers or professional famous people? I think it’s important to do good at any level, but I don’t think I’ll help anyone by making hot takes or social commentary. A gadfly is a person who interferes with the status quo of a society or community by posing novel, potentially upsetting questions, usually directed at authorities. I’m a writer, not a gadfly.
Science Fiction and Social Constructs: Mutually-Assured Creation
In 2022, ‘shock and awe’ are our daily meal, washed down with a bitter glass of cynical despair. Science fiction is my escape, where I can imagine a better world and how we might get there. Current social constructs don’t work for me, and I want to help those who feel the same way without sacrificing my principles or my principals. I hope this discussion about science fiction and social constructs has been helpful for you – you can let me know what you think on Reddit.
