You’re still exposed to new ideas. A lot of fantasy and sci fi authors explore concepts such as bigotry or inequality, and having the separation of looking at these ideas through an alien or fantasy race gives people a new lens to examine their own beliefs.

Authors also examine things like: what would an ‘ideal’ society look like and what would the trade offs be? What happens in a post-scarcity world? How would society grapple with over or under population?

Almost every book has something to teach you, even if it’s just how other people think.