Easily the most difficult
subtle distinction. This is important philosophical being that of
knowledge versus reality. It is the crucial difference in philosophy
of science, specifically interpretations of quantum mechanics. For
3000 years, human experience had been that in order for two systems
to interfere, they must either touch, or one system send an object to
another. No magic. Yet, using quantum entanglement, it is possible
for one system to influence another even a galaxy away without these
instantaneously. Further, it was provable as a theorem that no
information could be transmitted as an object using entanglement. Sci
Fi abuse of the entanglement was that of a theorem, hence impossible.
One might vainly look for sophisticated sci fi accepting the
limitation and turn to deep freeze mechanism; but in vain.
Ontology implies existence
or reality. Epistemology means knowledge. Sci Fi postulating
faster-than-light or FTL movement may have consistent epistemology
but be unreal at the same time. That is the distinction between
fantasy and fiction. There can be NO statement in a fiction that can
be provably impossible to happen. Once such a proof happens, all
fiction must be properly called fantasy.
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