Topical Gray Areas of Science Fiction

In addition to the personal limitations already listed, often readers have questions concerning specific content issues of a genre. So here are some of the most common areas with how frequently these elements occur in science fiction:  

 

Language: Moderate to High

 

Cussing, swearing, and other foul language saturates our society today. Science fiction often carries the same, as its worlds are often patterned after contemporaneous times. In addition, the removal of accountability to God, the lack of the sacred, and the devaluing of human life provides little reason to curb language. 

 

Violence: High

 

Society and technology at its extremes naturally lends itself to higher levels of violence, whether in the form of dictatorial society or biological warfare. On the flip side, technology can provide “cleaner” violence—less gore and blood—than its fantasy counterpart.

Sexuality: Moderate

Romance and sexuality aren’t usually the main plots in science fiction—something about mixing the unpredictable affairs of the heart with the logical progression of science—unless you’re dealing with a romantic subgenre. However, they do surface in subplots, and these worlds, with few moral bounds, often open the door for promiscuity.

Magic/Supernatural: Low

Most science fiction has little use for the supernatural. Scientific explanation is what’s demanded, and the supernatural and magical can’t be explained. Most of the time the closest this genre gets to the supernatural is the unnatural powers of an alien race.

False Religions & the Occult: Low

False religion and the Occult rely on the supernatural. Science fiction rejects the supernatural. So if false religion or the Occult show up, the portrayal is often negative.

Other Worldviews: High

Humanism dominates this genre, and as a result, its amoral views spawn many other problematic worldviews (often in their extreme forms), such as feminism, atheism, homosexuality, environmentalism and romanticism.