From: "Strong, Lee" <StrongL at MTMC.ARMY.MIL>
To: "'WSFA members'" <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: Counterfactuals, was Texas, more than you thought
Date: Tue, 9 Apr 2002 10:18:29 -0400
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>

	Actually, I am reading up on real cosmology at the present time to
become better educated on this subject.  Real physicists and cosmologists
are increasingly leaning towards a quantum mechanical multiple worlds theory
of the meta-universe.  They're still thrashing out the terminology, and,
yes, they're very aware that they're invading the realm of science
fiction... and fantasy.  Some science fiction and fantasy literary terms are
gaining acceptance in real science.  Stephen Hawking used the term "history"
to refer to what most science fiction readers call an alternate history or
alternate historical world.  Kip Thorne used the lower case term "universe"
to mean a dimensional world including alternate historical world, and the
capitalized term "Universe" to mean the entire meta-universe or multiverse.
Research continues.  Fascinating times... at least in this universe.

-----Original Message-----
From: Michael Walsh [mailto:MJW at mail.press.jhu.edu]
Sent: Tuesday, April 09, 2002 9:44 AM
To: WSFAlist at keithlynch.net
Subject: [WSFA] Counterfactuals, was Texas, more than you thought

> StrongL at MTMC.ARMY.MIL 04/09/02 07:56AM
>	Sam, I understand your point of view and agree with it in part.
>However, I think we should reserve the term "alternate history" for
>universes where objective history differs one from another.

Or as the professional historians like to say, "Counterfactuals"; cain't =
use no mongrel sci-fi term, no sirree.

See: "What If? : The World's Foremost Military Historians Imagine What     =
             Might Have Been" edited by Robert Cowley & "Virtual History: =
Alternatives and Counterfactuals" by Niall Ferguson.

mjw