Quote:
Originally Posted by fjtorres
The generally accepted guideline is that if the scientific/technological element is removed and the story falls apart, it is Science Fiction. If the SF elements are removed and the core story survives then they are just props, decoration, or a setting and it isn't SF.
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While I can't disagree with your idea here I certainly disagree that there is any generally accepted means of deciding what is and what isn't science fiction. There really aren't any reliable boundaries.
I've seen this topic discussed many times on internet forums, sometimes at great length by very intelligent people and without exception any dividing line that is proposed is always invalidated by some mutually agreed upon example.
There were some threads on rec.arts.books that went on for years on the topic of what was and what wasn't science fiction, often with established SF writers participating, and there was never any kind of general agreement.
Science fiction just is. I doubt anyone will ever agree on just what it is. I suspect that's true of most genres.
Barry