A Point of Intersection

This is the picture of a dying star in the constellation Aquarius.

After having spent two hours and a half doing the readings for class tomorrow along with working on the Fiction Group's presentation with my fellow group members, I went about re-reading a short science fiction story "The Last Question" by Isaac Asimov, a favorite of mine, as part of my personal study's focus on fiction. I greatly enjoy this story because it merges two of my favorite academic interests: literature and science.

This story, written in 1956, gives accounts of humanity at different points in time (and once even when time does not exist at all.) The plot centers around humans asking a super computer the question of whether entropy can be reversed (On a side note, scientists theorize that the universe is shifting towards greater disorder, or that its entropy is increasing; they theorize that the ultimate fate of the universe may be met when entropy reaches a maximum state, and all the stars die, leaving the universe in complete darkness.) The super computer gathers data throughout its "lifetime," and finally calculates the answer to the last question, which is revealed at the end (the end is amazing, I think, and I don't want to spoil it for you if you ever decide to read it!)

"The last question was asked for the first time, half in jest, on May 21, 2061, at a time when humanity first stepped into the light. The question came about as a result of a five-dollar bet over highballs, and it happened this way..."

The juxtaposition used at the beginning of this excerpt creates suspense that permeates throughout the rest of the story, until it is resolved at the end.

What I love most about this story is that it combines the elements of scientific knowledge and literature so beautifully that you can see where the two really intersect. Through both of these disciplines, humans only seek knowledge: through science they seek knowledge about the natural world, and through literature they explore human nature. They both, however, are a means into understanding our purpose and place in this world.

I highly encourage you to read this short story. Please let me know if you do!