A July 2022 renovation of the reality-check tag and others has changed the context of this question. It is now obsolete. Please see the following question and the link under "Conclusion." If we can't burn the "reality check" tag, can we rename it?
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I just read this question: Effects of a larger value for the Gravitational Constant?
It has both the science-fiction and hard-science tags attached to it. So I went and read the summary and wiki for science-fiction.
Though not my question, a legitimate question could be, why do we even have this tag?
- Should we have the science-fiction tag?
- What should be the tag wiki for [science-fiction]?
- Is there room in WorldBuilding for asking about the feasibility of science fiction ideas, which don't relate to building worlds?
- Do we need the [fiction] tag on the Main Site?
However, moving forward with the idea that this tag should exist, then theoretically (at least from my point of view), it should be one of four mutually-exclusive tags:
- science-fiction Answers are allowed to dream wildly about solutions, but the solutions are NOT based in any way on magic. E.G. "How can I repair a broken bone?" answer: "nanites." (This tag would be as close as we're willing to go to "technobabble." Answers are expected to have some vague tie to science as we know it... but answers should be more than just "sounding" cool.)
- science-based Answers are allowed to diverge from known science, but they should have their basis in known science. E.G., "How can I repair a broken bone?" answer: "Using stem cells as your baseline tech, apply a fluid in a manner similar to applying a glue to the broken bones, then cast them together."
- hard-science Answers are not allowed to diverge from known science at all — and respondents need to provide math and/or citations to prove it. E.G., "How can I repair a broken bone?" Answer: "with immobilization and proper nutrition."
And finally, one that is NOT part of the above sequence...
- reality-check The OP is required to provide the rules of their world and a specific circumstance, situation, or question that is evaluated against those rules for consistency of use and scope. Answers are of the form YES or NO but are encouraged to provide insight for the OP's benefit.
At this time the science-fiction tag is not formatted as part of the mutually-exclusive sequence. The linked question surprised me because, frankly, it seems nonsensical to ask for a hard-science evaluation to a fictional condition. But that might just be me.
Question: Is the science-fiction tag part of the mutually-exclusive sequence as described above, or is it something entirely different?
The tag's summary and wiki should be updated either way. Please note that if you vote "entirely different," you're also saying that science-fiction and science-based can be used together, which makes even less sense to me for some reason.