In 1980, newsweek has issued an eerily and sadly on-the-nose diagnosis of America’s “culture of ignorance.” Its author is Isaac Asimov, “professor of biochemistry at Boston University School of Medicine” and “author of 212 books, most of them on a variety of scientific subjects for the general public.” Given this grim biography and the fact that Asimov believed that “few people could read” in the United States, one might expect that the science fiction legend wanted nothing to do with television. That’s wrong.
Asimov apparently loved television. For example, in 1987, four-time Hugo Award winner wrote a humorous critical review of Alf for tv guide. And he was the consummate television entertainer, making his first major television appearance on Johnny Carson’s show. tonight show Appeared 4 times in 1968 mike douglas show Over the next few years, he conducted his last television interview with Dick Cavett in a two-part series in 1989. That same year, he wrote about America’s cult of ignorance. david letterman A show where you pit your wits against the smartest people on television. Asimov held his own and then some.
“In this video, Asimov, 60, proves himself to be a natural comedian,” the Melville House blog wrote. “At 33 years old, Letterman can barely keep up.” Surely Asimov’s joke had nothing to do with it. david letterman showCancellation is possible after 3 days. (Letterman returned to the air two years later for 11 seasons.) Their interviews range widely from pop culture (Asimov professes an appreciation for both). star wars and the empire strikes back) “The future of medicine, space exploration, human hope, and more,” writes Vic Sage in Pop Culture Retrorama.
Asimov’s dry delivery, honed during his childhood in Brooklyn speaking English and Yiddish, is admirable. But the author, teacher, and scientist doesn’t just appear on TV to crack jokes, promote his books, or show off his mutton chops. He wants to educate his fellow Americans about the future situation. (His newsweek Bio was old. As Letterman says, his appearance marked the publication of his 221st book. ) Like Hari Seldon, the protagonist of his 1951 novel foundationAsimov was confident in his ability to predict the course of human progress (and in some cases regression).
He was also able to confidently answer questions about what to do with outer space, where to put “more people,” as Letterman put it. His recommendation to build “factories” may strike us as a banal precursor to Jeff Bezos’ even more banal plans. space office park. Asimov boasts of a vision he had for a “pocket computer” in 1950, but by 1980 it was hardly ever realized. Dave complained about how complicated computers were, and Asimov accurately predicted that as technology caught up, computers would become easier to use. “But these are small details,” he says. “I never tried to predict. I just tried to write stories to pay for college.” He must have paid many times, but it seems he got it right more often than he got it wrong. For more information on Asimov’s predictions, please see the link below.
Note: An earlier version of this post appeared on the site in 2021.
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Isaac Asimov laments America’s “cult of ignorance” (1980)
josh jones I’m a writer and musician based in Durham, North Carolina.
Source: Open Culture – www.openculture.com
