5 Fantastic Lines By Isaac Asimov

A large part of Isaac Asimov’s sentences aim to exalt the value of science and denounce the effects of ignorance. This impressive writer of Russian origin, but naturalized in the United States, was perhaps the most important popularizer of science of the 20th century. Hence its emphasis on the value of reason.

Asimov was also one of the great science fiction writers. In this facet, he achieved great achievements and proved that scientific thinking does not exclude imagination, on the contrary, it draws inspiration from it. Therefore, there are several sentences by Isaac Asimov that allude to the creative.

This writer declared himself an agnostic and then an atheist. There are phrases by Isaac Asimov that directly question religious beliefs. This may be shocking to some, but Asimov’s interest was not to disrespect the cults, but to denounce their lack of consistency. Let’s look at some of his most interesting statements.

1. One of Isaac Asimov’s phrases about morality

This is one of those Isaac Asimov phrases that may be surprising or questionable to some. In it, he contrasts the sense of morality with what is right. It is something that some would classify as contradictory, especially if they considered it from a moralistic perspective.

What Asimov does is to take a deeply pragmatic position. The sense of morality is a metaphysical reality. It belongs to the world of ideas. What is correct, on the other hand, inhabits the terrain of common sense and the best for everyone, even if it contradicts some moral precept.

2. Knowledge and wisdom

This is a beautiful statement that masterfully describes one of the realities we are facing right now. Advances in science and technology happen at a fast pace, but individual and social changes do not.

A clear example of this reality is wars. They continue to be a path that many are betting on as a way to resolve some contradictions. Currently, warfare is at a very high technological level, but its promotion continues to conform to a pattern of thinking that is not far removed from caveman.

3. Violence in Isaac Asimov’s sentences

Perhaps this is one of Isaac Asimov’s best-known phrases. And no wonder: it condenses a great truth into a few words. It exposes the true face of violent behavior.

Asimov emphasizes that violence is a characteristic of the incompetent, because it corresponds to the most basic and instinctive response to a conflict. It only appears when other human skills, such as communication skills, empathy and creativity, are not present.

4. Life and chess

In the human domain, the concept of “end” is very relative. In reality, it doesn’t exist. Even our life does not end when we die, because we are still present in our works and in the minds or hearts of those who knew us.

Any ending, then, is not an absolute ending. Rather, it corresponds to a major shift in the continuity line. This is human life: a succession of beginnings and endings, in which absolute zero is never reached.

5. Science is a light

Until now, science is the only human discourse that has two characteristics: it is universal and cumulative. Universal because it is valid regardless of the culture mentioned, and cumulative because new knowledge is built on previous results.

Neither religion nor philosophy, much less beliefs have these characteristics. That’s why Isaac Asimov said that when science illuminates one place, it is also illuminating everyone else. Scientific truth is closer to the truth.

Isaac Asimov’s sentences are witty and inspiring. It could not be otherwise with such a multifaceted and curious thinker. It can be said that he made science a fascinating story, which allows us to understand why it is humanity’s greatest achievement.