planning for the future

I was talking with a bunch of people the other day about the definition of "science fiction" and I pointed out that we call things "science fiction" if they could conceivably exist. As an example, I pointed to the technology of Star Trek -- how many of the things that Gene Roddenberry (excuse any misspelling) created as a fictional future have now come to pass and are becoming the standard science of today. TV shows which explore the science of classic scifi shows have shown that we are getting there. Our great ideas of scifi are becoming the realities of our lives.

If that is the case, then why are we investing in science education? It seems that the education system which tries to teach students to become hard core scientists who can invent the future is sadly misguided. We should be pouring money into liberal arts programs and into cultivating the next generation of scifi writers -- they are the ones inventing the future. The scientists lag behind and are simply trying to make the cool ideas that others innovate into something of a reality. So lets stop lauding the scientists for standing on the shoulders of writers. Lets encourage our children to dream, write and let someone else put it all together. Stop wasting money at MIT, and start spending at MYST, I guess.