What did soft sci-fi and hard sci-fi mean? What's the difference?

Hard science fiction and soft science fiction were the two main schools of science fiction. The main difference was the setting of the future world and the development of science and technology. Hard science fiction usually focused on the political, economic, social, and cultural changes of the future world, as well as the development and progress of science and technology. In hard science fiction, technology was often highly advanced and had even achieved some seemingly impossible technologies such as time travel, space jump, virtual reality, and so on. The emergence of these technologies often led to major social and political changes, such as humans becoming superpowers or having a high degree of autonomy. In contrast, soft sci-fi focused more on the impact of technology on human life, as well as human reactions and survival methods in the face of technological change. In soft science fiction, technology was still at a relatively basic stage. Human lifestyle, social system, values, and so on would also be affected. In addition, hard sci-fi and soft sci-fi had different narrations. Hard science fiction usually focused more on the storyline and the development of the characters. Soft science fiction, on the other hand, focused more on human nature, emotions, and philosophical issues. The technological setting was often not the main clue of the story.

Soft science fiction and hard science fiction were the two basic categories of science fiction. Soft science fiction emphasized certain connections or hints to the real world, or was based on fantasies about future technology, which was usually an improvement or extension of existing technology but would not cause any known changes in reality. For example," Galaxy Empire " and " 2001: A Space Oasis " were both soft science fiction novels. Hard sci-fi emphasized the transcendence of technology or the fact that some form of technology in the future had surpassed our current technological level, causing major changes in the world. For example," Blade Runner " and " The Matrix " were hard science fiction novels. Other than the basic categories, there were some subtle differences between soft sci-fi and hard sci-fi. For example, soft sci-fi usually paid more attention to human emotions and interpersonal relationships, while hard sci-fi paid more attention to the nature of technology and machinery.

Xueyi Science fiction often involved future technology, interstellar travel, time travel, universe exploration, and other scientific concepts. These concepts were usually based on scientific theories. In hard science fiction, science and technology were often the core of the story, and the development of these technologies usually followed a certain scientific law and timeline. In contrast, soft science fiction was more concerned with human emotions, human nature, and moral issues, as well as human coping strategies in different situations. In soft science fiction, science and technology were often not the core of the story. Even human identity and values were not that important. The main difference between hard sci-fi and soft sci-fi was the coverage of science and technology and the core content of the story.

The difference between soft sci-fi and hard sci-fi was the technology they described and the direction of the future. Soft science fiction usually described a future world in which technology had developed to a very advanced but unrealized level. In this world, the existence and development of science and technology were to realize certain ideas or spiritual needs, not to improve the quality of human life. For example, the communication between alien civilizations and humans described in the soft science fiction novel " The Three Bodies " was a kind of soft science fiction. On the contrary, hard sci-fi was more concerned with the development and application of technology, as well as the ability of humans to control technology. In this world, technology was developed to achieve specific goals and objectives, not to improve the quality of human life. For example, the interstellar wars and human exploration of the universe described in the hard science fiction novel " Milky Way Empire " were hard science fiction. It was important to note that soft sci-fi and hard sci-fi were not absolute. Sometimes, authors might combine the two styles. In addition, some novels may contain both soft and hard sci-fi elements or compromise between soft and hard sci-fi in some aspects.

" Put Her Eyes On " is a science fiction novel because it describes the technology and abilities of a future world that is beyond our current knowledge and technology level, so it can be classified as science fiction. However, because the story background and setting of the novel were based on the real world, it also had the characteristics of soft science fiction.

" The Three-Body Problem " was a hard science fiction novel because it had relatively accurate sci-fi elements in the storyline and scientific settings, such as the three-body civilization, the dark forest theory, gravitational waves, and so on. At the same time, these scientific elements had a more reasonable explanation and connection in the story. However, the story of " Three-Body Problem " also had many non-scientific elements, such as human misunderstanding of aliens, political conspiracy, cultural conflict, etc. Although these elements could also bring readers some sci-fi experience, they reflected the author's humane feelings and thoughts more than scientific elements. Therefore, even though " The Three-Body Problem " had outstanding sci-fi elements, it was also regarded as a science fiction novel with a human sentiment.

The Three-Body Problem was a Chinese science fiction novel by Liu Cixin. Although it has some sci-fi elements, it is more of an exploration of sociology, history and philosophy, so some people think that it is not pure science fiction. In the Three-Body, humanity faced the threat of an alien civilization. This threat came from a cosmic structure called the Three-Body. There was a mysterious connection between the three components of the universe's structure, which allowed the Three-Body Civilizations to continuously develop, expand, and attack other civilizations. Although there were some sci-fi elements such as extraterrestrial life and time travel, it also involved more realistic social issues and philosophical thinking such as the fate of mankind, the development of civilization, and the process of history. Therefore, some people thought that the Three-Body Problem had some sci-fi elements and some real-life revelations, so it was called hard sci-fi.

The Galaxy Empire series was a hard sci-fi. Hard science fiction referred to science fiction based on scientific principles and proven technology. The scientific settings and worldviews in the works were usually rigorous and verified by science, and often had a certain degree of real-world reflection. In the Galaxy Empire series, the author George R. R. Martin's worldview and technological settings included some scientific elements such as planetary gravity, time travel, interstellar trade, and so on. These settings were fully displayed in the novel. In contrast, soft sci-fi focused more on imagination and philosophical thinking. The technological settings and worldviews in the works were more like symbols or symbols that lacked a certain amount of evidence and scientific verification. Although the Galaxy Empire series also contained some philosophical and thoughtful content, it was more presented as a literary means, so it could be seen as a kind of hard science fiction.

Hard sci - fi novels tend to be more focused on scientific accuracy. They rely on established scientific principles and often involve a lot of technical details. For example, in a hard sci - fi novel about space travel, the author will likely explain the physics of propulsion and orbital mechanics. Soft sci - fi, on the other hand, may use science more as a backdrop and focus more on the social and human aspects. It might be set in a future world with advanced technology, but not go into as much detail about how that technology actually works.

There were many differences between Chinese sci-fi and foreign sci-fi. Chinese sci-fi usually paid more attention to traditional Chinese culture and historical elements, such as ancient Chinese myths, legends, and historical events. At the same time, they also added some local culture and values to the discussion. In contrast, foreign sci-fi usually paid more attention to science and technology, the exploration of the universe, and the imagination and setting of the future world. In addition, there may be some restrictions and prejudices in the writing and translation of Chinese sci-fi, which may cause it to be inferior to foreign sci-fi in some aspects.