Yes, that's why I refer to the kind of works you mention with the label "speculative fiction". They are really sci-fi but they have reached a level of social import and acceptance -- upon which they get labelled as "speculative fiction" rather than "sci-fi".
"Speculative" is just used to bring fantasy and alternative history and other "what if the world worked under different rules? " material under the same umbrella as lasers and robots and starships. It is not a marker of quality level.
