Science Fiction and Fantasy: Same Stories, Just Different Perspectives?

Science fiction has much more to offer us than just spaceship battles and alien invasions. It also houses an explanation for things that might seem "supernatural" to us at the time. In science fiction, anything can be achieved through the use of technology and science. Teleportation. Time Travel. You name it. There are endless possibilities.

When we look at other genres, especially fantasy, we can see that various elements in those stories don't seem to answer the question: "How is that possible?". But nevertheless, we can assume that the answer is a science fiction one. For example, magic in fantasy worlds such as Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings could be easily explained as being technology far superior to our own. In other words, we could say that what appears to be magic to us is simply highly advanced science that we do not yet understand.

This way, the story could still make sense, even when neglecting the existence of actual "magic". In fact, this method can be used to explain things such as ghostly apparitions and spirits. We could say that what we are actually seeing are the manifestations of a technology that far exceeds our current understanding of the laws of physics.

It is a proven fact that technology can often be misinterpreted as being supernatural in origin by those who do not understand it. We see this in the jungles of South America all the time. Many indigenous tribes don’t yet understand our modern technology, so they assume things like airplanes are somehow related to their gods. Of course, we do not expect them to understand the complex physics regarding aviation. But then how do they explain a metallic bird flying through the sky? Surely, magic will seem as plausible an explanation as any, especially when they have no idea where the craft is coming from. I think Arthur C. Clarke worded it best when he said, “any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”

As mentioned previously, science fiction can even explain fiction outside its realm and make something like magic seem possible (by considering it technologically feasible if the science is advanced enough). If not even magic can escape science fiction's view of things, then what can?

Let’s say a man going to work finds a rock that he believes gives him magical powers. He can create fire using nothing but his hands and cast spells on people with his mind. But now let’s say that the rock came from outer space—from a lost alien civilization that used it for biological enhancements. Of course, the main character doesn’t know this and if the author chooses, he could sell it off as a fantasy story and avoid the scientific (and more realistic) explanation of a rock capable of DNA re-sequencing. In both genres, the story could still remain intact. Only our perception of the story would change because we have knowledge regarding the true origin of the rock.

Same story, different perspective.

We come to the realization, then, that stories from other genres could be recounted as science fiction if seen in the right perspective. This, in my opinion, is what makes scifi the most powerful fiction genre out there. It opens our minds to infinite possibilities and allows us to see the same story in more ways than one.