Isaac Asimov: Envisioning the Future of Our Own Humanity
Matthew Cross
Professor Molly Sides
ENG 103
22 June 2013
Isaac Asimov: Envisioning the Future of our Own Humanity "If it brings me humanity, that will be worth it. If it doesn 't, it will bring an end to striving and that will be worth it, too." (The Bicentennial Man 22). Isaac Asimov, a dreamer who with humble beginnings pushed science fiction into the beginnings of reality. There is no one quite like Asimov. He has written more on more subjects, and better on more subjects, and more unexpectedly on most subjects, and in more ways on more subjects, than anyone else in the field. He writes poetry, limericks, short stories, novels, essays, articles, nonfiction books, trilogies, jokes and so on-more of them than anyone else could imagine (The Bicentennial Man 1). With all his intelligence, and all his heart, he fought for a world in which his ideas could become reality. His humanity was found in his struggle to educate us all, encouraging us to expand our horizons beyond our own lack of knowledge. This fact is alluded to in an article he wrote to Newsweek in the 1980s, “There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has 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’” (“A Cult of Ignorance” 19). His view of the world included us understanding. His oppression was caused by our ignorance. Isaac Asimov was born sometime between October 4, 1919 and January 2, 1920 (In Memory Yet Green 1). His parents did not remember the exact date of his birth but claim it to be around that time. He himself celebrated it on January 2nd (In Memory Yet Green 1). He was born to Anna Rachel Berman Asimov and Judah Asimov, a Jewish Russian couple. At the age of three, his whole family immigrated to the United States to the city of Brooklyn, New York (Biblio). Asimov graduated high
Professor Molly Sides
ENG 103
22 June 2013
Isaac Asimov: Envisioning the Future of our Own Humanity "If it brings me humanity, that will be worth it. If it doesn 't, it will bring an end to striving and that will be worth it, too." (The Bicentennial Man 22). Isaac Asimov, a dreamer who with humble beginnings pushed science fiction into the beginnings of reality. There is no one quite like Asimov. He has written more on more subjects, and better on more subjects, and more unexpectedly on most subjects, and in more ways on more subjects, than anyone else in the field. He writes poetry, limericks, short stories, novels, essays, articles, nonfiction books, trilogies, jokes and so on-more of them than anyone else could imagine (The Bicentennial Man 1). With all his intelligence, and all his heart, he fought for a world in which his ideas could become reality. His humanity was found in his struggle to educate us all, encouraging us to expand our horizons beyond our own lack of knowledge. This fact is alluded to in an article he wrote to Newsweek in the 1980s, “There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has 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’” (“A Cult of Ignorance” 19). His view of the world included us understanding. His oppression was caused by our ignorance. Isaac Asimov was born sometime between October 4, 1919 and January 2, 1920 (In Memory Yet Green 1). His parents did not remember the exact date of his birth but claim it to be around that time. He himself celebrated it on January 2nd (In Memory Yet Green 1). He was born to Anna Rachel Berman Asimov and Judah Asimov, a Jewish Russian couple. At the age of three, his whole family immigrated to the United States to the city of Brooklyn, New York (Biblio). Asimov graduated high
Cited: Asimov, Isaac. The Bicentennial Man. London: Millennium, 2000. Print. Asimov, Isaac. "A Cult of Ignorance." Newsweek 22 Jan. 1980: 19. Print. Asimov, Isaac. Foundation. Vol. Revised. New York City: Spectra, 1991. Print. Foundation Novels. Asimov, Isaac. In Memory Yet Green: The Autobiography of Isaac Asimov, 1920-1954. New York City: Doubleday, 1979. Print. Holmes, Matthew, and Lindley Homol. Asimov, Isaac. Pennsylvania State University, n.d. Web. 18 June 2013. . "Isaac Asimov Biography and Notes." Biblio.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 June 2013. . "Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Books by Award." WorldsWithoutEnd. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 June 2013. .