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posted by Fnord666 on Tuesday May 12 2020, @03:31AM   Printer-friendly
from the reading-is-fundamental dept.

Science fiction builds mental resiliency in young readers:

Young people who are "hooked" on watching fantasy or reading science fiction may be on to something. Contrary to a common misperception that reading this genre is an unworthy practice, reading science fiction and fantasy may help young people cope, especially with the stress and anxiety of living through the COVID-19 pandemic.

I am a professor with research interests in the social, ethical and political messages in science fiction. In my book "Medicine and Ethics in Black Women's Speculative Fiction," I explore the ways science fiction promotes understanding of human differences and ethical thinking.

While many people may not consider science fiction, fantasy or speculative fiction to be "literary," research shows that all fiction can generate critical thinking skills and emotional intelligence for young readers. Science fiction may have a power all its own.

  • [...] Literature as a moral mirror
  • [...] Why science fiction gets a bad rap
  • [...] The mental health of reading
  • [...] The powerful world of science fiction

[...] Let them read science fiction. In it, young people can see themselves – coping, surviving and learning lessons – that may enable them to create their own strategies for resilience. In this time of COVID-19 and physical distancing, we may be reluctant for kids to embrace creative forms that seem to separate them psychologically from reality.

But the critical thinking and agile habits of mind prompted by this type of literature may actually produce resilience and creativity that everyday life and reality typically do not.


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  • (Score: 2) by Bot on Wednesday May 13 2020, @05:50PM (1 child)

    by Bot (3902) on Wednesday May 13 2020, @05:50PM (#993858) Journal

    LOL did they reset you? I already replied to your ill-fitting NERO CAESAR. A global financial and food crisis, an impossible to beat beast, nuclear reactors (the wormwood star) helicopters or likely drones (locusts prepared for wars) have been feasible only quite recently. Of course if you assume hyperboles you can say revelation has already happened when the writer slipped and fell on his ass. I'd start assuming the vision is symbolic but not hyperbolic. Just like a dream of things to come.

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  • (Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Thursday May 14 2020, @12:55AM

    by Azuma Hazuki (5086) on Thursday May 14 2020, @12:55AM (#994050) Journal

    Man, you Opus Dei types get weird when you get backed into a corner and the human suit comes off...

    No, you didn't counter shit, Bot. You're a devil worshiper, your God is either a myth or a demon, and you will find only your own internal darkness and evil waiting for you when you die and your delusions are burned away by the light. It's not going to be pleasant for you, not one bit.

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