Isaac Asimov: The Prolific Visionary (2 January, 1920 – 6 April, 1992)

Isaac Asimov: The be-muttonchopped Humanist, Author, and Educator, celebrated his birthday on the second of January 1920 (though the actual date was uncertain). Isaak Yudovich Ozimov was born to Orthodox Jewish Parents in Petrovichi, Russia, and emigrated to Brooklyn, New York at the age of three. His family owned a series of candy stores where he and his brother and sister were expected to work.

Asimov taught himself to read at five, began writing short stories at 11 (to which he would end up with over 500 books), and went on to be the only person to have their work categorized in all ten major Dewey Decimal System sections.

In 1948 Asimov received his PhD in biochemistry from Columbia University. Then after being drafted into the U.S. Army received the rank of corporal owing to his typing skills, and received an honorable discharge after nine months of service.

Asimov was married twice and had two children. He was a claustrophile and (according to his memoir) was terribly afraid of flying. He was a fan of Sherlock Holmes, Gilbert and Sullivan, and mysteries. Asimov coined the terms “robotics” (Liar, 1941), and “positronic;” as well as authored the Three Laws of Robotics (I, Robot. 1950).

In December 1983 Asimov underwent triple bypass surgery resulting from a 1977 heart attack. In that surgery Asimov received a blood transfusion in which he contracted the HIV virus (Janet Asimov’s It’s Been a Good Life [2002: Prometheus Books]). Asimov’s doctors cautioned him against going public with his HIV-status (due to anti-HIV prejudice). Asimov died of HIV-related renal failure on April 6th, 1992.

Asimov was a Secular Humanist, Freethinker and Visionary. Asimov also conducted a heavy Biblical exegesis in Asimov’s Guide to the Bible (1967), examining a secular approach to the Old and New Testaments. Asimov was enviably well-read, well-written, and advanced the notions of global humanity and ethics. Asimov’s absence has left a significant hole in American literature, and the world is far better for having had him in it.

In his writing, Asimov helped translate the world of science into science fiction Asimov also served as a science adviser for Star Trek. Through his writing, Asimov helped established a moral code for robots. This will be discussed later in this post.

Asimov on the Golden Age of Science Fiction

In the Freethinker series, Asimov has been included for his thoughts on the nature of religion, ethics, and his eyes toward the future. These edition examines Asimov on these issues through video and an essay (Brummond) on Asimov’s religious sentiments. I hope that you enjoy.

Asimov on Bill Moyers World of Ideas (1988)

Asimov was the consummate Humanist. In this 1988 interview with BIll Moyers, Asimov expressed a hope in the future and its promise of a human-helping technology, and in the value of reason. Asimov also expressed his opinions on the nature of education, in that it is difficult for someone to learn something if they are not excite about it. That computers would revolutionize not just what we learn but how we learn it as well. Computers will allow us to have a one on one relationship between information source and information consumer. Now everyone can have a teacher “in the gathered knowledge of the human species.”

Asimov’s other thoughts on education that should stand as particularly prolific are his thoughts that, ”People think of education as something they can finish, and to finish it is a rite of passage.” This thirst for knowledge, and ever improving yourself is at the core of the Humanist philosophy. Asimov’s criticism of our cultural cult-of-antiintellectualism stands more true today than when he said it 15 years ago. ”You have everybody looking forward to no longer learning, and you make them ashamed afterwards of going back to learn.”

On death, Asimov spoke of the importance of this life and I would like to focus on what he said about its meaning:

“That when it’s time to die, and that will come to all of us; that there will be a certain pleasure in thinking that you utilized your life well. That you had learned as much as you could, gathered in as much as possible of the universe; and enjoyed it. I mean there is only this one universe, and only this one lifetime to try and grasp it. And though it is inconceivable that anyone can grasp any more than a tiny piece of it-at least do that much. What a tragedy to pass through and get nothing out of it.”

On the matter of faith and mysticism Asimov said: “Mystics are selling people phony knowledge and taking money for it.” To being accused of having an “excessive trust in rationality”:

“Well I can’t answer that very easily, perhaps i do, but I can’t think of anything else to trust in. You say to yourself, if you can’t go by reason what can you go by? One answer is faith. But faith in what? I notice that there is no general agreement in the world that these matters of faith they are not compelling. I have my faith, you have my faith and there is no way that I can translate my faith to you, or vice versa. At least as far as reason is concerned, there is a system of transfer. A system of rational argument, following the laws of logic etc, that a great many people agree on. So that in reason there are what we call compelling arguments. That is if i locate certain kinds of evidence, and even people who disagree with me to begin with; once they study the evidence find themselves compelled to agree by the evidence. but where ever we go beyond reason into faith, there is no such thing as compelling evidence. Even if you have a revelation, you have a revelation how can you transfer that revelation to others… by what system?”

Humanist

Asimov was also the former Honorary President of the American Humanist Association (1985-1992 [succeeded by Kurt Vonnegut and Gore Vidal)

Isaac Asimov: How to Save Civilization

In this address to the Humanist Institute, Asimov said that we are all human beings, and things of global interest are our individual interest. "It is criminal for all of Earth now to not be Humanists." Because we all as human beings face these problems. That the difference between us is trivial. As with his fictional literature, Asimov spoke with a gleam of hope in his eye that the beneficial use of technology could advance and save us as a species, using Space exploration to unite us. I found his idea of using energy sources free of geography (not that some would have and others not), and the protection of that energy's production would be a feature of our unifying security. This idea that is too often overlooked in our parochial national-border disputes is easily cured by a little of Dr. Asimov's medicine. If we look beyond those who currently turn the wheel, and focus on a mutually owned future where our security is tied globally-we just might save our species from geo-suicide.

Ethics & Religion:

Asimov was also an historian. His Asimov's Guide to the Bible (vol. I & II) (1967, 1981) was an exemplary scholarly work on the matter of Biblical historicity and critique. Asimov, himself raised in an Orthodox Jewish household would later go to be a leader in the Humanist movement. This is an interesting essay that I found on Asimov playing around with religious themes.

 

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Religion in Asimov's Writings

Michael Brummond
(*reposted by Fair Use for educational purposes) 

 Abstract

This paper discusses how the life and beliefs of an American writer are reflected in his fictional works. Moreover, it answers the questions "How are the aspects of religion and religious beliefs used in the fictional works of a professed atheistic writer, and what is the predominant attitude toward religion in those works?" This paper uses such resources as the novel Foundation, numerous short stories, quotes, and an autobiography to clearly show a parallelism between Isaac Asimov's personal views and beliefs, and his fictional works. More specifically, this paper demonstrates that Asimov's works are opposed to religion and common religious beliefs such as the existence of God, and life after death. It is also shown that these references are often subtle attacks that the unaware reader may never notice.

 Isaac Asimov

Isaac Asimov is one of the most prolific writers in American history; with over 500 titles, Asimov has covered almost every major division of the library Dewey decimal system with topics including anatomy, physiology, astronomy, the Bible, biology, chemistry, etymology, geography, Greek mythology, history, humor, mathematics, and physics (Riley, 1975, pp. 16-17). Asimov is most well known, however, for his work in science fiction, and also for being a professed and proud atheist. How, then, are the aspects of religion and religious beliefs used in the fictional works of a professed atheistic writer, and what is the predominant attitude toward religion in those works?

Asimov was born January 2^nd, 1920 in Petrovichi, USSR to parents Judah and Anna Asimov, both Orthodox Jews. When Isaac Asimov was 3 years old, his family came to the United States and settled in New York City where his father opened a candy shop. He graduated Boy's High School in Brooklyn at the age of 15 and went on to study chemistry at Columbia University where he earned his B.S. in 1939 and his M.A. in 1941. Asimov served a short time in the military during World War II, and later earned his PhD in 1948, then becoming a faculty member of Boston University as an assistant professor of biochemistry. In 1958 Asimov became a full time writer (Wakeman, 1975, pp. 89-90).

Asimov married Gertrude Blugerman July 26, 1942, and had two children. The two separated in 1970, and divorced November 16, 1973. Asimov later remarried, to Janet Opal Jeppson, on November 30^th, 1973. Asimov had no children from this marriage (Seiler & Jenkins, 1999).

According to Asimov's own autobiography (1994), while his parents were Orthodox Jews, he remained without religion simply because no one made an effort to teach him any religion (p. 12). According to Asimov, he was "sometimes suspected of being nonreligious as an act of rebellion against Orthodox parents...but it was not true of me. I have rebelled against nothing. I am, in short, a rationalist and believe only that which reason tells me is so (p. 13)." It has also been suggested that Asimov was a Humanist. Humanists belive that humans alone are responsible for the problems and achievements of society. Humanists would believe that neither good nor evil is produced by supernatural beings, and that the problems of humankind can be solved without such beings (Seiler & Jenkins, 1999). As Asimov put it, "...I am incapable of accepting that existence on faith alone (Asimov, 1995, p. 301)." Asimov perfectly summed up his religious views by saying "I don't have the evidence to prove that God doesn't exist, but I so strongly suspect that he doesn't that I don't want to waste my time (as cited in Corvallis Secular Society, 1997)."

Although his parents were Jewish, Asimov took great interest in Christianity and moreover, the Bible, even to the point of publishing a two volume set entitled Asimov's Guide to the Bible. How then does Asimov treat this in his fictional works? In his book Gold (1995), Asimov gives his views of science fiction and religion:

I tend to ignore religion in my own stories altogether, except when I absolutely have to have it. ...and, whenever I bring in a religious motif, that religion is bound to be seem vaguely Christian because that is the only religion I know anything about, even though it is not mine. An unsympathetic reader might think that I am "burlesquing" Christianity, but I am not. The too, it is impossible to write science fiction and really ignore religion (pp. 297-302)

It is true that Asimov does not use religion in an abundance in his fictional work, and yet it can be found.

For instance, on the Bible, Asimov says "My experience with Greek myths (and later, the grimmer Norse myths) made it quite obvious to me that I was reading Hebrew myths (Asimov, 1994, p. 13)." This view of the bible is somewhat paralleled in Asimov's short story "The Last Trump" (1990) in which the angel Etheriel is speaking to the archangel Gabriel about the writings of the book of Daniel and the Bible in general and questions their authenticity after being copied by scribes: "I wonder if two words in a row are left unchanged (p. 106)."

Foundation, (1974) one of Asimov's most famous and popular novels, deals with religion in a rather negative light, and strikingly resembles Christianity. In the novel, a group known as the Foundation is assembled by Hari Seldon, to harbor science and art during the fall of the Galactic Empire. The foundation grows in power over the years, using trade and religion to control neighboring planets and systems. The religion is described as follows:

...all this talk of about the Prophet Hari Seldon and how he appointed the Foundation to carry on his commandments that there might some day be a return of the Earthly paradise: and how anyone who disobeys his commandments will be destroyed for eternity. They believe it. (p. 103)

The parallelism to Christianity is apparent: the Prophet Hari Seldon represents Jesus Christ, the Foundation is organized religion, the commandments are similar to those given to Moses in the old testament, the Earthly paradise is Heaven, and to be destroyed for eternity is the Christian idea of Hell.

Another aspect of religion in Foundation is how that religion is portrayed and used. The following quotes sum up the religion in the novel:

The religion-- which the Foundation has fostered and encouraged, mind you-- is built on strictly authoritarian lines. The priesthood has sole control of the instruments of science we have given Anacreon, but they've learned to handle these tools only empirically. They believe in this religion entirely and in the ...oh...spiritual value of the power they handle...The Foundation has fostered this delusion assiduously (pp. 106-107).

I started that way at first because the barbarians looked upon our science as a sort of magical sorcery, and it was easiest to get them to accept it on that basis. The priesthood built itself and if we help it along we are only following the line of least resistance (p. 86).

To the people of Anacreon he was high priest, representative of that foundation which, to those 'barbarians' was the acme of mystery and the physical center of this religion they had created-- with Hardin's help-- in the last three decades (p. 89).

These examples of Asimov's work reveal some interesting views on religion. First, it is said that those that believe are "barbarians," and that religion is a "delusion." Also, these examples suggest that religion is created by man as a tool to control and manipulate the ignorant and uneducated. It is one of Asimov's beliefs that "To surrender to ignorance and call it God has always been premature, and it remains premature today." Asimov also said:

I would not be satisfied to have my kids choose to be religious without trying to argue them out of it, just as I would not be satisfied to have them decide to smoke regularly or engage in any other practice I consider detrimental to mind or body (as cited in Corvallis Secular Society, 1997).

One of the most apparent similarities between Asimov's own beliefs and his fictional work comes in the area of life after death. Asimov says:

It is entirely because such thoughts are so comforting and so exhilarating, and so remove us from the otherwise dreadful thought of death, that the afterlife is accepted by the vast majority, even in the absolute absence of any evidence for its existence (Asimov, 1994, p.332).

When asked what he would do if he were wrong and were faced with his creator, Asimov said "I would say, Lord, you should have given us more evidence (Asimov, 1994, p.333)."

Asimov has also stated that the common conceptions of Hell, as well as Heaven, do no appeal to him:

What human being with a modicum of intelligence could stand any of such Heavens, or the other that people have invented, for very long? Where is there a Heaven with an opportunity for reading, for writing, for exploring, for interesting conversation, for scientific investigation? I never heard of one (Asimov, 1994, p. 333).

This belief is taken to its fullest extent when Asimov states he would choose oblivion over an afterlife: "There is nothing frightening about an eternal dreamless sleep. Surely it is better than eternal torment in Hell and eternal boredom in Heaven (Asimov, 1994, p.333)."

This view on the afterlife is exemplified in Asimov's science fiction works as well. In the short story "The Last Trump," (1990) Asimov paints a picture of a world that was destroyed by atomic war. The time of "resurrection" was at hand as the dead rose from their graves in a new Earthly paradise free of all hate, lust, and pain. All material possessions were destroyed, including clothes. It is presented as a great irony that at a time when all are nude, lust is absent. And those that lived for war, cannot kill their enemies. It is Asimov's contention, in fact, that the lusts and vices of life are what make it worth living, and that the afterlife would be pointless:

The Dantean conceptions of Inferno were childish and unworthy of the divine imagination: fire and torture. Boredom is much more subtle. The inner torture of a mind unable to escape itself in any way, condemned to fester in its own exuding mental pus for all time is much more fitting. Oh, yes, my friend, we have been judged, and condemned, too, and this is not Heaven, but hell (p. 118).

This idea is carried to its fullest extent in the short story "The Last Answer" (1986). An atheistic physicist dies, and is carried to what he believes to be an afterlife. He soon finds out that he is the prisoner of an all-powerful being that used a "nexus of electromagnetic forces" to imitate the workings of his brain, in essence giving the man immortality. The catch is that the man's purpose for eternity is simply to think. The universe was created for the amusement of the all-powerful being, and the man has no choice but to exist for all eternity to please the being. The last answer that the man intends to spend eternity thinking about, is how to end the existence of "god." "For what could any Entity, conscious of eternal existence, want-but an end? (P. 356)"

Asimov sums up his atheistic view of the afterlife by saying, "I am not afraid of dying and going to Hell or (what would be considerably worse) going to the popularized version of Heaven. I expect death to be nothingness and, for removing me from all possible fears of death, I am thankful to atheism (as cited in Corvallis Secular Society, 1997)."

Asimov's objection to God also stems from his objection to the idea of the afterlife. Asimov says, "I would also want a God who would not allow a Hell. Infinite torture can only be a punishment for infinite evil, and I don't believe that infinite evil can be said to exist even in the case of a Hitler (Asimov, 1994, p. 334)." Along with this, Asimov's views as a humanist are brought out clearly in one of his most famous short stories, "The Last Question." The story spans the entire existence of the universe, and the plot reveals the existence of God. In the near future, man has invented a super computer known as a Multivac. The computer is asked if entropy (the winding down or loss of energy in the universe) can be reversed. The computer says that not enough data is available. The story progresses many eons and through the years, the computers evolve along with man, and at each stage, it is asked if entropy can be reversed, and the answer always comes back that there is not enough data at that time. In the final stage, human kind has evolved into one mind free of body, and co-exists with the computer which exists in hyperspace. As the universe come to an end and man fades out, the computer discovers how to reverse entropy, and says "Let there be light (P. 246)."

This incredible science fiction story has the underlying theme that man created God, and that the problems of society can be solved only by man, or man's creation, and that a supernatural being is not needed. This is a direct representation of Asimov's humanist beliefs.

Overall, it can be seen that Asimov does use religious themes in his works, and often they resemble Christian motifs. The use of religion is not intended, according to Asimov, to burlesque religion, but to profess his beliefs against the existence of a god, or an afterlife.

References

Asimov, I. (1974). The Foundation trilogy. New York: Equinox.

Asimov, I. (1994). I. Asimov: a memoir. New York: Doubleday.

Asimov, I. (1986). The last answer. In Robot dreams (pp. 350-356). New York: Berkley Publishing Group.

Asimov, I. (1990). The last trump. In The complete stories (pp. 106-119). New York: Doubleday.

Asimov, I. (1986). The last question. In Robot dreams (pp. 234-246). New York: Berkley Publishing Group.

Asimov, I. (1995). Religion and science fiction. In Gold (pp. 297-302). New York: Harper Collins.

Corvallis Secular Society (1997). Isaac Asimov on religion retrieved May 9, 1999 from the World Wide Web: http://css.peak.org/newsletter/1997/aug97/asimov.html

Riley, C. (ed). (1975). Isaac Asimov. In Contemporary literary criticism (pp. 16-17). Detroit: Gale Research Company.

Seiler & Jenkins, J.H. (comp). (1999). Frequently asked questions about Isaac Asimov Retrieved May 5, 1999 from the World Wide Web: http://www.clark.net/pub/edseiler/WWW/asimov_FAQ.html

Wakeman, J. (ed). (1975). Isaac Asimov. In World authors 1950-1970 (pp.89-90). New York: The H.W. Wilson Company.

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Human/Robotic Morality

Asimov of course is renown for his Three Laws of Robotics. Those being the moral code programmed into each robot's positronic brain.

One, A robot may not injure a human being, or through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm;
Two, a robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law;
Three, a robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws.
(Laws of Robotics: I, Robot. [1950]).

Three Laws of Robotics

These issues are stirred even after Asimov’s death in popular cinema (i.e. Bicentennial Man and I, Robot).

 

Bicentennial Man (1999)

I, Robot (2004)

 The first in this series is a light and easy cursory look at a prominent freethinker. We shall discuss these soon; but some ethical issues to consider before our next chat:

1. What is our relationship with science, and what can/should it be? Asimov presents a future in which future technology can help answer many of our problems (as well as create them).
2. What is our role in the natural role as a species, and what should we be working towards. Asimov promotes the idea of using technology to improve education at an individual level, and on a global level creating mutually assured security through energy future. How feasible is it to work toward a shared future, and what are the ethical implications of a federative world?
3. In his “Three Laws of Robotics,” Asimov presents a world in which humanity create simulated people to assist in our everyday endeavors. This leads to ethical implications of where personhood begins and ends. Without going terribly deep into what is the measure of a man-what are your thoughts about where humanity begins and where it ends? When should a robot be given rights of persons?

I hope that you enjoyed this brief look at an amazing freethinker! More to Come.

Next time George Foote.

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Bibliography

Amazing Stories: Sixty Years of Science Fiction
Asimov on Science Fiction
Asimov’s Guide to Science
Asimov’s Guide to Shakespeare (Vol. I & II)
Asimov’s Guide to the Bible (Vol. I & II)
Banquets of the Black Widowers
The Best Mysteries of Isaac Asimov
Cal (Gold Series)
The Caves of Steel (Robot Series)
The Complete Robot (Robot Series)
The Death Dealers
The Double Planet
Dragon Tales
Earth is Room Enough
The Edge of Tomorrow
The Egyptians
Election Day 2084: Science Fiction Stories on the Politics of the Future
The Endochronic Properties of Resublimated Thiotimoline
The End of Eternity
The Ends of the Earth
The Exploding Suns
Exploring the Earth and the Cosmos
Extraterrestrial Civilzations
Eyes on the Universe
Fact and Fancy
Faeries
Fantastic Creatures
Fantastic Voyage
Far as Human Eye Could See
Ferdinand Magellan: Opening the Door to World Exploration
Flying Saucers
Forward the Foundation
Foundation
Foundation and Earth
Foundation and Empire
Foundation’s Edge
Franchise
From Earth the Heaven
Future in Space
Galaxies
The Genetic Code
The Genetic Effects of Radiation
Good Taste
The Greeks: A Great Adventure
A Grossery of Limericks (with John Ciardi)
Hallucination Orbit
The Heavenly Host
The History of Biology
The History of Chemistry
The History of Mathematics
The History of Physics
Hound Dunnit
How Did We Find Out About Antarctica
How the Universe Was Born
The Human Body
I, Robot
In Joy Still Felt
Inside the Atom
The Intelligent Man’s Guide to Science
Intergalactic Empires
Invasions
Is Anyone There?
Isaac Asimov Presents from Harding to Hiroshima
It’s Such a Beautiful Day
The Last Man on Earth
Lecherous Limericks
Life and Energy
Light
Living in the Future
Machines that Think
Magical Wishes
Mars
The Marian Way and Other Stories
Mythical Beasties
Murder at the ABA
The Naked Sun (Robot Series)
Nemesis
Nightfall
Nine Tomorrows
The Noble Gases
The Norby Series
Only a Trillion
Our Angry Earth
Out of Everywhere
Past, Present, and Future
Pebble in the Sky
The Planet that Wasn’t
Please Explain
The Positronic Man
Prelude to Foundation
Purr-fect Crime
Puzzles of the Black Widdowers
Quasar, Quasar, Burning Bright
Races and People
Realm of Algebra
The Relativity of Wrong
Th Rest of the Robots
Robbie
Robot Dreams
Robots and Empire
The Robots of Dawn
The Roman Empire
Sally
Second Foundation
The Secret of the Universe
The Seven Cardinal Virtues of Science Fiction
The Seven Deadly SIns of Science Fiction
Second Foundation
Tales of the Black Widdowers
The Tragedy of the Moon
The Ugly Little Boy
The Union Club Mysteries
‘X’ Stands for Unknown
Young Extraterrestrials

Memoirs
Asimov, I. (1994). I. Asimov: A Memoir. New York: Doubleday.
Asimov, I. (1979). In Memory Yet Green. Avon Books.