Fountain of Knowledge

I don't know about that distinction between science that's "plausible but doesn't actually exist" and existing scientific elements being used for different things. Faced with an actual example, I'd be hard pressed to tell the difference, and I bet a lot of scientists would have the same reservation.

True science is stranger than any fiction. I mean, do you ever read Scientific American? That's some weird shit. And if you get into the stuff scientists talk about that the rest of us don't have a prayer of understanding, it just keeps getting stranger.

In contrast, look at classic science fiction. It's full of people flying around in space faster than the speed of light. That's pure fantasy.

I like "speculative fiction" because it's an umbrella term. I think Orson Scott Card said that science fiction and fantasy are nearly the same thing, only sci-fi uses machines while fantasy uses magic. But what is magic anyway, but science we don't understand yet? People used to say that disease came about when the body was invaded by invisible entities called evil spirits. Now, with modern science, we know that disease actually comes about when the body is invaded by invisible entities called germs.