Talk:Outside Context Problem
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[edit] Usage
Has this term been used anywhere other than in "Excession"? If not, a more suitable category would seem to be "science fiction". --Christopher Thomas 02:41, 15 Apr 2005 (UTC)
- The term is used fairly extensively on the web (Google - 3k hits, although wiki and mirrors of do form about half of it), and seems to be used as an example by many non-sf sites ( Story writing]), in some cases (Economics) even without mentioning Banks or mistakenly attributed the phrase to sb else ([1]). It has been used in at least one academic publication (Google Scholar found: 'Information assurance' by David Birchall, Jean-Noël Ezingeard, Elspeth McFadzean at PDF, in the context of risk and security in business). While the terms origin is definetly in sf, it does seem to have surpassed it an entered a wider language. --Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus Talk 22:29, 9 October 2005 (UTC)
[edit] Examples
While I like the Perry's Black Ships in Japan example, I don't think that Hurricane Katrina and flooding of New Orleans is a good OTC example: there have been many floodings in Earth's history, and if the preparations were not enough, the fact that there were some makes it definetly an 'In Context Problem' IMHO. I am also not sure about the meteorite striking Earth example: we are aware it is a possibility, we just think it is so remote it is not worth the effort. Like a plague, it is an extinction event, which is not the same as OCP (OCP does not have to result in exctinction of our species, it is just something almost completly unexpected with potential to make or break given culture). I wonder if 'society awarness' is a possible factor here - i.e. if we can imagine something, is it any longer the OCP? Would grey goo be a OCP or just an extinction event? Alien contact is a better example, although science fiction has paved some way in making most people aware it is a possibility. It would be an OCP a century ago (Well's broadcast of 'War of Worlds' seems to be a good example), but would it still be now? I'd say that if majority of society is not aware of an event with the potential to drastically affect it, it is an OCP. Otherwise, it is an extinction event or just a normal social change. --Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus Talk 22:33, 9 October 2005 (UTC)
"such as the scenario alluded to by Banks: the discovery of America"
America was not discovered with steamships.
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- I dare say it's futile to try to give an example of an OCP for us (that is, something that is outside our context), because any scenario one of us thinks of is either inside context, or will be as soon as it is explained clearly enough to use it as an example.—GraemeMcRaetalk 05:16, 4 November 2005 (UTC)
- Not entirely true, I think. Consider this: if several visionaries realise something is possible, but vast majority of the population is unaware of it, then I wager we can still call it an OTC for that society.--Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus Talk 04:06, 22 November 2005 (UTC)
- Agreed; also, with the aliens, for instance, it's not the mere fact of contact but its content that would constitute the OCP — whatever new knowledge, art, culture &c they were to give to or impose on us. --Sabik 15:41, 27 January 2007 (UTC)
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- Both, I'd think: if most people don't think that aliens can exist that their very discovery would be shocking to them.-- Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus | talk 19:06, 27 January 2007 (UTC)
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- Agreed; also, with the aliens, for instance, it's not the mere fact of contact but its content that would constitute the OCP — whatever new knowledge, art, culture &c they were to give to or impose on us. --Sabik 15:41, 27 January 2007 (UTC)
- Not entirely true, I think. Consider this: if several visionaries realise something is possible, but vast majority of the population is unaware of it, then I wager we can still call it an OTC for that society.--Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus Talk 04:06, 22 November 2005 (UTC)
- I dare say it's futile to try to give an example of an OCP for us (that is, something that is outside our context), because any scenario one of us thinks of is either inside context, or will be as soon as it is explained clearly enough to use it as an example.—GraemeMcRaetalk 05:16, 4 November 2005 (UTC)
