Asimov

[kairos12]

“When stupidity is considered patriotism, it’s unsafe to be intelligent.”

Where we are.

[Eko]

1. Kick

[edhopper]

2. Against stupidity

The Gods themselves contend in vain.

[blm]

3. 😢

[Marcuse]

4. What does Professor Seldon predict will come of us?

[lastlib]

12. I have frequently thought that The Pustule is a parallel....

to The Mule in Foundation and Empire---the guy who breaks the system and throws everything into chaos. It makes Asimov seem like even more of a visionary. (One of these days, I need to re-read that book!)

[soldierant]

15. I don't remember the Mule

being evil in the way Trump** is

[lastlib]

17. I think he was just as power-hungry....

and equally aimed at overthrowing the system. IDK, it's been many years since I read the book.

[soldierant]

18. A long time for me too.

But I do remember that in the Mule's case it was not privilege thatmade him what he was. Far from it. That made have made me more sypathetic to him that I am to Trump**.

[Chainfire]

26. I have to read the trilogy every few years. Thank goodness, at my age, I forget a lot of it, so it is almost like

new! After that it will be time for the Robot series.

[Ping Tung]

5. Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent. Isaac Asimov

Anti-intellectualism is a large part of RW dogma.

[PJMcK]

6. He was a brilliant man and terrific writer (n/t)

[kimbutgar]

7. And only smart people say they need learn more !

[triron]

29. Because it's only they that realize how little they know.

[keithbvadu2]

8. "it's unsafe to be intelligent"... Cambodia. Pol Pot.

Just one example of many.

[markodochartaigh]

9. There is

a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.

Isaac Asimov, 1980

[Dave Bowman]

25. He must be spinning in his grave.

[bmichaelh]

10. Asimov was a renaissance man

Asimov was a renaissance man

His published works were not just limited to science and science fiction.

He wrote books about Shakespeare, Bible, history, etc.

[SeattleVet]

13. He was a essentially a one-man 'Book of the Month' club.

For a while I was the newsletter editor for the NYC chapter of American Atheists, and he was on our mailing list. We were also both on the fundraising committee for the (closed for many years) Museum of Holography on Mercer Street in SoHo. (Never had meetings for this, so there was no personal interaction.)

I did get to meet him at a signing during one of the "Fifth Avenue is Book Country" book fairs in the late 80's. He was set up at a table in front of the Doubleday offices. As he signed my book I mentioned that, at that time, I had just north of 200 of his books. He stopped in mid-signature and looked up at me, probably thinking I was some sort of stalker or something. In reality I had obtained my first Asimov boom when I was in 6th grade - "Asimov's Guide to the Slide Rule" - and had been hooked on his writing style ever since. I also later found that one of my favorite short stories that I had read when I was in 3rd or 4th grade was one of his. Prolific writer on many subjects, and I still cherish the few signed first-editions I still have.

[Midnight Writer]

19. I've been watching some of his old interviews on YouTube. Always fascinating.

He makes you rethink about what you really know about the world we live in.

[Liberal In Texas]

11. I had a brief encounter with him in the 80s.

He and his agent came to the wrong TV station for an interview and for some reason somebody directed them to where I was working on prep to direct the Saturday 6 p.m. News. My jaw dropped when I saw it was Asimov and I reluctantly told them that we unfortunately didn't have anything scheduled to interview Isaac Asimov. As always in these situations you don't ever react like you would want to. I wish I'd had the presence to tell him how much I enjoyed reading his books.

Instead, I said that they should drive a few blocks and try one the other major TV stations. The agent didn't seem too happy, but the great Asimov didn't seem bothered.

[H2O Man]

14. Definitely recommended.

[chouchou]

16. It's scary when 60-64 percent of the American populace can't pass a simple citizenship test.

Sadly, this makes it even worse. "People who failed the test were asked if they would take the test 3 weeks later.
The ones that said YES, did not improve their score 3 weeks later.
I mean, Jesus Christ, wouldn't a person at least try to learn something in 3 weeks, just to not be embarrassed...Geez.

[Cyrano]

20. Asimov wrote or edited over 500 books.

He was prolific and brilliant.

And I love his quote; "Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent."

[Hela]

21. Prescient, indeed.

"To be sure, the Bible contains the direct words of God. How do we know? The Moral Majority says so. How do they know? They say they know and to doubt it makes you an agent of the Devil. ... Imagine the people who believe such things and who are not ashamed to ignore, totally, all the patient findings of thinking minds through all the centuries since the Bible was written. And it is these ignorant people, the most uneducated, the most unimaginative, the most unthinking among us, who would make themselves the guides and leaders of us all; who would force their feeble and childish beliefs on us; who would invade our schools and libraries and homes. I personally resent it bitterly."

[Cyrano]

22. Want a short example of Asimov's writing/imagination?

Go to Google and type in "The Last Question." It's a short Asimov story that you can read in 10 minutes. But it's one that may influence your thoughts of our existence.

[Arne]

27. I can't believe it

For sixty years I thought that was a Badbury story.

[LSFL]

28. Ahem

I am aware of his (Bradbury's) work.

[Martin68]

23. We might add, when knowledge is considered subversive, being educated is viewed as a threat.

[Celerity]

24. K & R