The Last Question by Isaac Asimov (1956) | Hacker News Reader

The Last Question by Isaac Asimov (1956)

multivax.com

98 pointsdeepakjc18 comments

Asimov's "The Last Answer" is perhaps more profound:

http://www.thrivenotes.com/the-last-answer/

Not really - it is written from quite the elitist perspective, with a nihilistic goal at the end. It is pretty dark and depressing if you ask me.

Not sure if it's more profound, but I hadn't read that one yet, so thanks.

'nightfall' is also very good, both the short and novel version. It may have influenced Vernor Vinge's Deepness in the Sky portrayel of the civilization of the intelligent spider creatures who hibernate through the "Deepest Darkness" of their variable sun's long "off" periods where their civilization falls apart.

I've read both of these but hadn't made that connection. A Deepness in the Sky is one of my all-time favorite scifi novels.

I always thought that it influenced Pitch Black as well. Especially since it includes the line "So much for your nightfall." near the start.

I've always thought that setting would make for a good MMO.

It might have already been posted.

https://hn.algolia.com/?q=the%20last%20question#!/story/fore...

Not everyone knows it has been posted. I for one do not mind.

Please see the section on reposts in https://news.ycombinator.com/newsfaq.html.

One of the comments in the older threads mentions how the Multivac represents the opposite of what we got today, because we have so many computers running at the same time (phone, laptop, tv, and tablet currently around me, for instance).

I can't completely agree. Although all these devices might work by themselves. But they are not complete. Each of these machines is currently running software that actively connects one or the other cloud service. Isn't what we have pretty much that Multivac thing? It's not a single big blob somewhere on this planet, but this just makes it way bigger.

Thank you for posting it. I first reading this story as a teenager. I remember it having an impact on me in a way few stories do. I have re-read it many times since then and it can still take my breath away every time.

I came here to say precisely this. I didn't even know Asimov at the time; I started with some of Arthur C. Clarke's stuff). Years later I had to hunt it down to find it again, and that resumed my love affair with Asimov.

It's hard to believe he was 21 when he wrote Foundation. Easier to believe when you see how profound he could be in such short bursts as with OP.

This story was first published in 1956. As far as I know, it's still under copyright (I don't know whether the copyright is owned by Asimov's estate, by the publisher, or by someone else).

You're right it is still under copyright. No harm intended

One of my favorite short stories.

My favourite Asimov story :3. Also his favourite, IIRC.

This is so old. Have a better story instead: http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/stories/shanidar.htm

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