The Law & Science Fiction
Two things that have always interested me are law and science fiction. Up until very recently I ran two blogs; this one and another called The Law and Science Fiction, where I examined legal issues in SF. I like to read SF, horror and some fantasy, though the lion’s share of analysis there – and likely continuing here – was/will be of SF stories. Even after all that work I am still not yet quite sure how I will use this section of the blog, though I hope it will help to readers understand legal issues in SF, and ultimately aid readers by giving them a better understand the stories. I even used to have a mission statement for that site. It was this:
This site exists because I believe that SF authors regularly make comments in their works about where we are as a society, where we are going, or where we have been. My belief is that many of them use legal precepts to help communicate those ideas. Here I will analyze the methods by which SF authors explore those legal issues, and the effectiveness of their use of those tools in their texts.
Even though I’ve had years to think about what to do with the site, that’ll have to be enough for now. Maybe when I reach a critical mass of commentary something else will occur to me. For now I’ll move slowly and ploddingly through this, because I have realized over the last few years that it is not when I reach the goal that suddenly gives me knowledge, but rather its the slow process of discovery that has value. I just have not yet though thought out exactly how deeply and in what direction I want to go with this yet, but my hope is that after some time I will have built up enough data to begin making some broader conclusions about the use of law in SF; how well the authors work with the issues and the theory of legal practice. I do not foresee myself going into the realm of legal fiction (John Grissam, for example), though it may be that the formulas set down in that subgenre might give some insight into what I am doing here, so who knows.
One other thing to remember; I am not a legal instructor, though I do have some (think infinitesimal) experience in that arena. Nevertheless, it feels to me like I’m on shaky ground right now. I have a strong feeling that doing this blog correctly will take a great deal of research on my part, since I am definitely not an expert in all legal fields. But I promise you that I will strove to get past the apprenticeship phase as quickly as possible, and I will try mightily to give you something more than hornbook law. I just ask that those of you out there who take the time to read what I write here help me to get there. Thanks very much, and I hope that this works out to be entertaining and fruitful for us all.
I also have (surprise, surprise!) a disclaimer for the legal sections of this blog. Actually, I guess I should say that it applies to all parts. So there. It applies to all parts. It is such:
DISCLAIMER
I am an attorney. California admitted, I work in a bunch of western states, and while I moke a job of giving advice, nothing that you will find here is intended as advice, legal or otherwise. If you have come here for legal advice, then I am sorry to tell you that you have come to the wrong place. You may be searching for an attorney who can help you with your unique problem. If you are in California, then you can start here, and not with me. So without further ado:
Disclaimer: This blog is maintained as a free information service and its contents are not intended to constitute legal advice or opinion. Statements herein are made solely and individually by the author, Gregory Tidwell, and are not attributable to anyone other than him. Use of this blog does not create an attorney-client relationship. The blog may fail to accurately or comprehensively represent the law or the topics discussed
If however you are a SF fan, or you want to comment on something I have said, then by all means comment away. I take the good and the bad, and I can even admit a mistake or two.
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