USE OF SCIENCE FICTION AS A TOOL OF FUTUROLOGY IN TEACHING THE COURSE «PROSPECTS OF EUROPEAN CIVILIZATION»

Abstract

The aim of the article is to determine the role of science fiction as a tool of futurology in the development of scientific and technical ideas of European civilization and the impact of these ideas on other socio-cultural formations.

Methodology. While working on the topic, a number of research methods were used, primarily historical and comparative methods. The classification of the material made it possible to identify general patterns and cause-and-effect relationships. In the study of works of art, the possibilities of content analysis were used.

Scientific novelty. Using the example of the most famous works of science fiction writers, an attempt is made to determine the influence of science fiction on scientific and technological development, and attempts by authoritarian regimes to use science fiction for propaganda purposes are traced.

Conclusions. The formation of modern European civilization was due to the development of science and technology. An important aspect of sustainable development is the possibility of planning and forecasting. Modern science allows forecasting in many areas, and futurology plays a key role in this process. Among the forecasting methods, expert assessment is of particular importance. Usually, scientific forecasts are made by experts in science, but it turns out that science fiction has a great potential for prediction, because many writers were scientists themselves. It turned out that development is impossible without a dream. The works of European and later American science fiction writers became a kind of driver of scientific, technological, and sometimes social development. Authoritarian regimes are well aware of the importance of science fiction, trying to put it at the service of both science and propaganda.