GS/SF.

THE TANGLED RELATION of general semantics to science fiction began within seven years of the publication of Science and Sanity. John W. Campbell, Jr., the influential editor of Astounding Science Fiction magazine, who regarded general semantics as a prototype "future science," encouraged several of his most popular writers to familiarize themselves with the general semantics literature. Campbell hoped they would incorporate some general semantics theory or methodology in their stories. Several writers did so, most notably A. E. van Vogt in his "Null-A" novels, and Robert Heinlein, whose standard protagonist, the "competent man," embodied the evaluative and reasoning habits encouraged by general semantics authors and instructors. General semantics figured in other ways, too -- as an indirect target of William Tenn's satire in his short story "Null-P" and as a source of new words (see, for example, Philip K. Dick's idiosyncratic use of the term "time-binding" in his novel Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said).

The present issue of ETC explores the contemporary relationship of general semantics and science fiction. The noted novelist and screenplay writer David Gerrold describes the use of E-Prime in two of his novels, and in "Writing to Tell: A Spoonful of Fiction" Paul Dennithorne Johnston explains his objectives in creating The Clone Chronicles (serialized in ETC) and reveals some of the strategies he employed in achieving his goals.