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Soft SF

This not very precise item of sf Terminology, formed by analogy with Hard SF, is generally applied either to sf that deals with the Soft Sciences or to sf that does not deal with recognizable science at all, but emphasizes human feelings. The contrasting of soft sf with hard sf is sometimes illogical. Stories of Psi Powers or Supermen, for example, have little to do with real science, but are regularly regarded by sf readers as hard sf. The New Wave was generally associated with soft sf; Cyberpunk falls somewhere between the two. [PN]

Entry from The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (2011-current) edited by John Clute and David Langford.
Accessed 04:17 am on 10 December 2024.
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