Isaac Asimov
You'd be hard-pressed to find a sci-fi fan that doesn't know, and appreciate, Isaac Asimov. One of the most popular and prolific authors of the genre, Asimov sold his first story at the age of 18. He went on to write literally hundreds of books on a variety of subjects, and is remembered as one of the giants of modern science fiction.
As sci-fi fans, we at "New @ MPL" won't miss the chance to honor this sci-fi behemoth on the 93rd anniversary of his probably-birthday. (Asimov, born in Russia, was uncertain about the actual date of his birthday -- due to lack of records at the time, among other things. But January 2nd was when he celebrated, so that's good enough for us!) Read on to find out more about five things we wouldn't have if not for Mr. Asimov:
1. A full non-fiction section
Libraries like ours use the Dewey Decimal Classification system to organize our non-fiction titles. It lets us organize the books by subject, while also giving every book a number to make it easier to track down on the shelf.
The urban legend runs that Asimov is the only author to have a book in each of the ten main categories of the Dewey Decimal system: general reference, philosophy, religion, social sciences, language, science, technology, arts and recreation, literature, and history/geography. Now, while that's not quite accurate (none of his books get shelved in the philosophy section), Asimov has written at least a few books that show up in each of the other sections. He wrote over 500 books in his lifetime -- fiction and non-fiction, preschoolers' early readers and college textbooks, science fiction and mysteries, ancient history and modern, Shakespeare and Gilbert and Sullivan. Whatever you're interested in, there's a decent chance that Asimov may have written a book about it!
2. Data
Asimov is probably best remembered for his Foundation series and his Robot series, the latter of which featured such inventions as the Three Laws of Robotics. (More on those in a bit.)
The portrayal of robots in Asimov's stories had a huge, profound impact on the entire science fiction genre -- and, for that matter, the real-world scientific study of robotics. (Asimov himself coined the word "robotics!") One of pop culture's most famous robot characters was inspired heavily by Asimov's stories: Data, the android from the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. With his positronic brain -- and his desire to be human -- Data calls to mind such Asimov creations as Andrew from The Positronic Man.
3. Sci-fi as we know it
Science fiction has always had the capacity to serve as commentary on real-world events. H.G. Wells, for instance, is said to have used his book The War of the Worlds to comment on British imperialism during the Victorian era.
But by Asimov's time, most science fiction was of the "space opera" variety -- sprawling, epic stories about swashbuckling romance and action-filled adventures. Nothing wrong with such stories, of course, but critics complained that it made the genre empty.
Asimov, by contrast, wanted his stories to enlighten as well as entertain. He's responsible for such genre tropes as robotics and the idea of a "galactic empire" -- but, perhaps more importantly, he's also credited with bringing political and social commentary into modern-day sci-fi story conventions. Nowadays, you'd be hard-pressed to find a science fiction story that doesn't have a cautionary tale or a reference to modern-day culture and events woven somewhere into its pages (or on the movie screen).
4. Safer science
Asimov wasn't just a science fiction author. He was also a scientist in his own right, and during the 1950s, he worked as a biochemist. While he published far more popular books and novels than academic papers, his work for one scientific journal in particular stands out. Asimov made the point that the breakdown of carbon-14 in human genes (a breakdown which can be caused by exposure to radiation) invariably produced mutations. When the Nobel-prize-winning chemist Linus Pauling campaigned for the end of atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons (a campaign that was ultimately successful), it was with Asimov's persuasive paper in the forefront of his mind.
Which brings us to Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics. Within the world Asimov's Robots series, all robots were designed and programmed to obey three primary laws:
1. A robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings, except where those orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence, except where such protection would conflict with the First or Second Law.
The Three Laws allowed for Asimov's robot characters to be sympathetic rather than terror-producing -- here were robots who, by their very design, were destined to protect and help human beings. (The fact that there are loopholes to be found in even the best of laws is, however, precisely what made his stories so fun!) Some modern-day robotics researchers have mentioned Asimov's stories influencing their own ideas and theories, and some have even attempted to use the Three Laws as a model for their own robotic creations.
5. Cool names
When you have a positive impact on so many fans, writers, scientists, and researchers, they're bound to return the favor. Asimov has had a number of scientific curiosities named after him, including an asteroid, a planetary crater on Mars, a New York City school -- and, my personal favorite, what is probably the most advanced "humanoid robot" yet invented: ASIMO.
Standing for "Advanced Step In Innovative Mobility," ASIMO is designed to reach for things, pick things up, find its way along floors and sidewalks, and climb stairs. Standing just over four feet tall, it took Honda engineers over two decades to develop ASIMO's advanced capabilities and features. In addition to being able to move so precisely, ASIMO can also understand and respond to simplistic voice commands, stop stationary and moving obstacles in its environment, and even recognize faces in a small group of individuals.
An extra birthday treat:
Read Asimov's favorite of his stories,
-- Post by Ms. B
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