What is the difference between soft and hard science fiction?

The main difference lies in the role of science. In hard science fiction, the scientific elements are central and drive the plot. They are usually based on current scientific knowledge or plausible extrapolations of it. Soft science fiction doesn't depend as much on scientific rigor. It might take a scientific concept like time travel and use it mainly to create an interesting setting for a story about love, friendship, or power struggles within a society.

Hard science fiction focuses on accurate scientific and technical details. Soft science fiction, on the other hand, might use science more as a backdrop and focus more on characters and social themes.

Science fiction in children's literature courses was usually divided into two types: hard science fiction and soft science fiction. Hard science fiction was based on scientific principles and known technological facts. It included some technological settings and worldviews that were contrary to the real world, such as time travel, aliens, superpowers, and so on. These settings needed to have a scientific basis in the novel and needed to be compared and discussed with existing science and technology. Soft science fiction novels, on the other hand, focused more on human nature, society, culture, and other aspects. Their scientific and technological settings were relatively more basic and common, such as " Milky Way Empire " and " Three-Body Problem " novels. Although the characters and technological settings in these novels were based on the real world, their emotions, values, and social systems were different from the real world, so they paid more attention to the discussion of human nature and culture. It is important to note that hard science fiction and soft science fiction are not a strict classification but a relative and subjective classification. Therefore, different readers may have different opinions on which category the same novel is classified into.

Hard science fiction often has complex scientific concepts. It's for those who like real science in their stories. Soft science fiction is lighter on science and heavier on things like emotions, relationships, and social issues in a sci - fi setting.

Soft science fiction often uses science - fictional elements to tell stories about people, cultures, emotions, etc. Hard science fiction, however, is based on scientific knowledge and principles, and the scientific elements are crucial to the story.

Hard science fiction typically focuses on scientific accuracy and often involves advanced concepts from fields like physics, astronomy, or engineering. For example, '2001: A Space Odyssey' delves deep into concepts like space travel and artificial intelligence with a high degree of scientific plausibility. Soft science fiction, on the other hand, may use science more as a backdrop and is more centered around human and social elements. It might explore how society reacts to a scientific discovery rather than the details of the discovery itself.

Hard science fiction focuses on real scientific concepts and theories, often with detailed explanations and accurate predictions. Soft science fiction, on the other hand, might use science as a backdrop but places more emphasis on characters and social issues.

Hard science fiction focuses on scientific accuracy and often features real scientific concepts like physics, astronomy, etc. For example, 'The Martian' shows detailed scientific knowledge about surviving on Mars. Soft science fiction, on the other hand, is more about the social and human aspects. It might use science - based settings but is mainly concerned with things like relationships and society, like in 'Brave New World' which uses a scientific - based dystopian setting to explore human nature and society.

Hard science fiction focuses a great deal on scientific accuracy and often features concepts like advanced physics, astronomy, or engineering. For example, stories might revolve around interstellar travel based on real scientific theories. Soft science fiction, on the other hand, is more concerned with the social and human aspects. It might use a scientific concept as a backdrop but is mainly about exploring human relationships, ethics, and society. For instance, a story could be set in a future where a new medical technology exists, but it's really about how that technology affects family dynamics.

Soft science fiction usually emphasizes human relationships and emotions within a science - fictional setting. It can play fast and loose with the science part. Take a story about a telepathic society where the mechanics of telepathy are not really explained but the focus is on how it affects human interaction. In contrast, hard science fiction demands a firm grounding in established scientific knowledge. Writers of hard sci - fi do extensive research to ensure their stories' scientific elements are plausible, like in stories about time travel that are based on theoretical physics.