Introduction
Science Fiction: A Technical Imaginary World to be Deciphered

Innovative organizations evolve in ever-changing ideological and imaginary contexts. Understanding these flows is important in order to build an effective strategic vision. Economic actors must thus develop managerial discourse in relation to innovative concepts, some of which appear in popular culture, scientific imagination and science fiction. This artistic genre, increasingly diffused and appreciated in industrialized societies, is often presented as an inexhaustible source of concepts and prototypes of futuristic technologies. Futurology and foresight are taken into account in this imaginary world in order to better master and control the most promising sectors. Investing in a project, an organization or a company means adhering to a strategic vision. However, some of them are strongly inspired by science fiction aesthetics.

Science fiction appeared in the 19th Century with Frankenstein (1818) by Mary Shelley. Historians of the genre refer to earlier works, some of which date back to antiquity. However, it was the appearance of utopia, a term coined by Thomas More in 1516, that marked a break in the way of conceiving the imaginary world in the West. From then on, artists and intellectuals began to become aware of the impact of fiction on the way the world is not only understood but also constructed. Political power then became suspicious of potentially subversive narratives. Micromégas by Voltaire (1742) is thus presented as a work of prescience fiction philosophy. The 19th Century saw a great deal of activity in the creation of scientific fiction. In France and Great Britain, a large number of stories were published, reflecting an intellectual ferment in the developing territories of the Industrial Revolution. Utopian thought, associated with industrialism and the works of authors such as Jules Verne, helped to influence political and scientific thought. Works of fiction were beginning to question the meaning of the Industrial Revolution. The increase of innovations provoked the expression of passions, both positive and negative. Since its beginnings, the imagination has accompanied a constantly changing industrial revolution.

The term science fiction (scientifiction) was coined in the United States. Hugo Gernsback contributed greatly to the development of this genre by publishing numerous journals in which a large number of utopian technologies appeared. Science fiction then spread rapidly, gradually finding its place in the dialogue between the humanities and the so-called hard sciences. It developed original approaches, questioning the relationship of decision-makers, whether political or economic, to a technical progress sometimes described as Promethean by some of its critics. Cinema consecrated the success of science fiction: special effects made it possible to represent improbable technologies or scientific phenomena, fascinating many people interested in science and technology. Note that 200 years after the publication of Mary Shelley's work, science fiction is experiencing a tremendous boom, which should enter a new era with the significant drop in the price of special effects. In the coming years and decades, the art of creating futuristic worlds in cinema should become affordable to a large number of actors, not only to a Hollywood elite.

Two approaches to science fiction emerge from this context. On the one hand, innovators are increasingly interested in how science fiction writers have imagined the future of their industries. Some believe in its anticipatory, futuristic, even prophetic dimension. A better knowledge of the history of utopian technologies is necessary for them to develop their strategic discourse and innovation policies. The relationship between science and science fiction should therefore be examined in order to determine how the interactions between two disciplines that are central to the innovation processes of technoscientific societies work. On the other hand, more and more economic actors are deciding to create their own science fiction, institutional science fiction, with the aim of no longer realizing the visions of external authors, but promoting utopian technologies imagined internally.

Science fiction is a particularly popular type of fantasy in the discourse of innovators and entrepreneurs in many sectors such as converging technologies or the space industry. Organizations must adapt to constantly evolving imaginations, utopian or dystopian, but also very influential in the definition of strategies and objectives for Research and Development (R&D). The science fiction imaginary world is particularly influential in the most innovative territories. The United States and Japan regularly offer works of fiction that fascinate a considerable number of individuals and minds passionate about technosciences. An imaginary pact unifies the visions of the future of an international community of engineers and scientists behind innovations that are radically transforming lifestyles.

How are engineers influenced by the imagination, and particularly by science fiction? Is scientific rationality compatible with this culture, since the imagination is sometimes denounced as a drift that is harmful to reason? How do organizations deal with science fiction, for example, in large telecommunications, nanotechnology and biotechnology groups, but also in aeronautics, aerospace and many other sectors? The number of cases of organizations, companies and institutions using science fiction for foresight purposes is growing every day. Which works play or have played an important role in the imagination of engineers and scientists? According to what psycho-sociological mechanisms?

Although capitalism regularly experiences crises, these crises testify to the failure of imaginary worlds that have, over a period of time, supported the development and dissemination of innovations, particularly technological ones. Science fiction can be seen as an imaginary world derived from the archetypes at the origin of scientific thought. Is this position - inspired by the theories of the imagination of thinkers such as Gaston Bachelard, Gilbert Durand or Cornelius Castoriadis, but also by the theory of archetypes and the collective unconscious of C.G. Jung - compatible with an approach conceiving science as a source of inspiration for the creators of fiction and technical imaginary worlds?

Design fiction and science fiction prototyping are examples of practices that use science fiction to stimulate creativity and invent utopian technologies that initiate innovation processes. The term design fiction was coined by science fiction author Bruce Sterling in 2005. It has since become a concept adopted by more and more economic actors. The specialists in this practice provide advice to companies, proposing various approaches, such as the invention of technological fictions to detect promising and innovative concepts. Science fiction culture is common to a large number of actors, especially among engineers, a professional category of particular interest to us here. The sociology of science and organizations, as well as the sociology of the imaginary world, has in recent years provided knowledge on the interactions between fiction, technology and R&D. This book will address a large number of theories on the contribution of science fiction to the imagination of engineers and technoscientific innovation.

In Chapter 1, Nadine Boudou explains the role of science fiction films in which technical progress has led to catastrophic situations. The post-apocalyptic genre is more and more influential in the technical imagination. The author is also interested in the Real Humans series (Äkta människor in Swedish), which shows the dangers of a massive commercialization of humanoid robots in society. The imaginary world also reveals the fears of an author's or society's future. Contemporary science fiction thus reveals the limits of a technical progress that could lead to the destruction of humanity or even the planet. Post-apocalyptic films underline the fragility of a technological civilization that conceives of itself as all-powerful. The author is also interested in the themes developed in climate fiction, which is particularly abundant since the theme of global warming warns of the dangers of uncontrolled technical progress. Nadine Boudou explains that "The end-of-the-world hypothesis on which these scenarios are based can be useful to innovators and inspire them in their research so that they can be put to work for the common good". Science fiction is indeed a powerful criticism of the impact of technosciences on ecosystems and human societies. The use of philosophy is useful, as it enables a virtuous dialogue to be established between engineers and innovators, and the rest of humanity worried about its future.

In Chapter 2, the contribution of Marianne Chouteau and Céline Nguyen questions the role of science fiction in the development of technical culture. This is presented as indispensable in order to curb the possible excesses of a society increasingly dominated by technologies that are sometimes frightening because of their potential dangerousness for humankind. The two authors share their experience as teachers in an engineering school, where they propose different approaches to students using their imagination. These are often influenced by science fiction in the form of novels, films or series. In particular, these stories help to stimulate ethical reflection on the integration of innovations into society. Thus, science fiction is at the service of technical culture. A...