Science Past, Science Future

By Isaac Asimov

Book Overview

8.5"x5.75"x1" hardcover edition This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385099231
• ISBN13: 9780385099233
• Release Date: January 1975
• Publisher: Doubleday
• Length: 346 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Asimov on the Future thirty years later

Among the major problems which Asimov felt were confronting Mankind were many of the environmental issues which confront us today. Asimov was especially concerned with overpopulation which in subsequent years became the major concern of those concerned with the human future. However at this point in the midst of what Ben Wattenberg has called ' the demographic dearth' with drastically declining birth- rates especially in Japan, Europe and the developed world, but also elswhere there are different kinds of demographic questions dominating the agenda. One of thsoe of course is the gender imbalance produced in India and China through the ' technological gift' of enabling parents to select the sex of their child. In general Asimov tends to be optimistic about scientific developments. And in certain contexts he has argued that as ' science and technology' are the only real bringers of change, they are far more significant than traditional humanities and social - sciences. Asimov as a champion of science and 'science- fiction' which for him are the source of the true original ideas in our world is perhaps a bit less critical of certain kinds of possibly destructive scientific work than he might be. Asimov was only 'human' and could not of course foresee fully our biotechnologically dominant world, but he approached every subject with a maximum of study, real intelligence and rationality. In all his books he is a great teacher. And this one is no exception.