News for hackers. Stuff that matters.
Re:John W. Campbell, a chief architect of science fiction's ... by bsenftner on Tuesday November 20, 2018 @08:51AM (#18493746)
As a avid reader, some would say obsessive, I have never respected the work of John Campbell. His science fiction simply feels naive and implausible, composed of technological awe that would not exist in a real situation. His writing always struck me as childish, and the members of my book club (during elementary, where I was the only kid in a club of adults) warned me of his racism, so it was easy ti disregard him. After all, there is much better SF than his kiddie wow.
Re:John W. Campbell, a chief architect of science fiction's ... by stan_rogers on Tuesday November 20, 2018 @10:00AM (#18494207)
He also went hook, line and sinker for Hubbard's Dianetics nonsense, which probably wouldn't have gone anywhere without the publication of an abstract in Astounding.
Re:John W. Campbell, a chief architect of science fiction's ... by winchling on Tuesday November 20, 2018 @10:29AM (#18494480)
He seems also to have been responsible for that tiresome predilection for 'psi power' and parapsychology in science fiction which lasted until at least 1980.

But, even so, I've gained a huge amount of pleasure from the selection of Golden Age SF I've read. So I guess not all his influence was bad.

Re:John W. Campbell, a chief architect of science fiction's ... by bsenftner on Tuesday November 20, 2018 @12:50PM (#18495830)
I always considered Robert Silverberg and his 50's era optimistic SF to be the Golden Age; the Buck Rogers type.