Today’s world appears to be heading toward a dystopian future from science fiction. We have self-driving cars, talking phones, and other connected devices that converse with one another in tongues we don’t comprehend. We either live in a technological utopia or a Brave New World nightmare, depending on the news of the day. The uses of science fiction are covered in this MIT Press Essential Knowledge series volume. It focuses on what is central to all definitions of science fiction: a picture of a world altered and the potential outcomes of such alteration.
