Issac Asimov’s “Lecture on Humanity”

Asimov's predictions about the 21st Century were not far off. He believed there were two places the world could be at; one where people chose the "sane" path and prosper perhaps indefinitely or chose not to change and twirl into a downward spiral of virtually nothing.

Asimov spends most of the lecture on his prediction of the "sane" path. He believes the world will reach equality not only sexually but racially as well. In the future women will need to have less children, therefore they will have to find other things to do. The solution; give them jobs. This is very accurate because now in 2011 there are women running the government, science, and industry just as Asimov predicted. Stay at home mothers are much rarer now then they were in the 70's when Asimov gave this speech. Women have charged forward and now have the same oppourtunities as men in the business world. Racial equality on the other hand, is still in the works of the 21st Century. Many programs have been put into place to ensure equality happens. Although idealistically these laws and programs should have eradicated racism, it still exists in today's society. However, it is something sought after by many and it the next ninety years, it is sure to be a reality. Asimov is not off track when he predicts a world without racism.

Although most predictions were reasonable, Asimov's thoughts of being in a world without war seem very unrealistic. He was correct when he talked about nuclear war, the world can easily be destroyed in a half hour's time. However, regular wars where "you send bombs in envelopes, or stick some sticks of dynamite in an automobile in a buys place" happen regularly. The U.S. is still involved in affairs with Iraq and Afganistan. Wars like this will continue on for many years to come. I fail to see the world without war in the 21st Century, however it is a goal that all countries should strive for.

Asimov's sense of humor draws the audience in and allows them to enjoy his lecture. Constant laughter came from the crowd and myself. I enjoyed his jokes when he spoke about new oppourtunities for women opening up in the 21st Century. Although they were meant to be humorous, they were quite honest but kept the lecture light and entertaining. My favorite anecdote he used was him recalling the story "The Man Who Awoke."  He talked of the way people reacted to those geeky kids who were into science fiction. He made fun of himself as being one of the "snot-nosed kids too smart for their own good." But at the same time pointed out how at the ripe age of thirteen he realized the earth's natural resources were due to run out at some point. His sarcasm against himself prevents him from sounding like a pompous genius who has created a lecture to share his insights about the future with others. From his sarcasm about figuring things out as a young teenager, we can learn that simple ideas are not always easily discovered. Like coal and oil are finite substances.

Issac Asimov has clearly used synoptic philosophy to come to his conclusions about the future. When talking about the Earth's changing weather, he looked at all places of the world and how they would be affected from the dust. He used syllogisms and critical thinking throughout this process. He even considers the past with the horrible dustbowl and other bad weather spells. Asimov looks at things from every angle and every possible possibility before reaching his conclusion on the matter.