[_debug_]

What a waste of time that was! I felt greatly cheated by the ending. It was exactly as if I had met a friendly, neatly dressed, smiling person on the street who, after 5 minutes, turned out to be peddling his religion after all.

Honestly, I have thought of much better stories myself. I remember GREATLY enjoying Asimov as a teenager, and I am pretty sure this is not his best story.

[eksith]

Asimov, as mentioned previously, was an atheist.

The ending was a powerful metaphor of what it may mean to know all and how such an all knowing entity may act when there is no one else around to share this existence.

This story isn't about religion wherein the origin of life and all that exists is explained on the basis of faith. This is a story on how such an origin can take place in a setting of speculative fiction that doesn't push faith at all. I feel sorry for you that you couldn't enjoy the ending or understand Asimov for that matter.

[_debug_]

The mention of that particular metaphor "Let there be light" is quite significant and is the thing that repulses me. I felt me that even the subtle negation of God by introducing a Deus Ex Machina (literally) is rooted in the notion of his particular Christian God that he is negating. It only gives strength to the other fiction by trying to negate it.

The wow-isnt-the-ending-"clever" negation of an ending actually fell flat for me. It really is a trite device if you think about it.

I feel sorry for you and all others who think they feel sorry for me because I have a differing opinion which you presume is inferior. In reality, I believe your opinion is probably just conforming rather than well thought-out : you you you think it's awesome, but I question whether you are even thinking and just think it's awesome because it's Asimov. That's no different from the premium a shopper pays for Prada because, duh, it's Prada.

[eksith]

Since this is going the same pattern as all other internet discussions (and since you assume an awful lot about people who disagree with you) I'll just refer you to the wisdom of The Dude: "Well, that's like your opinion, man."

[andrewljohnson]

You have _thought_ of better stories yourself, but have you ever _written_ a better story. I'm pretty incredulous of anyone who claims to write better than Isaac Asimov. Strikes me the same way people who never built anything go around ripping on other people's products. Truly classic internet delusions of grandeur.

[_debug_]

> Truly classic internet delusions of grandeur.

The delusion is yours : you don't know who you are talking to on the Internet, and you have assumed that the other anonymous writer is as mundane as you are. Says something about you, not me.

The irony of thinking, "Since I think Asimov / Steve Jobs / Linus / whoever is awesome, and so many other people agree, it MUST mean that the dissenting commentor is a troll or having 'delusions of grandeur'" is that when these people started out, I'm pretty sure self-appointed X Factor judges of the world future such as yourself told them exactly the same thing. "How deluded to think you can write an Operating System, you puny mortal, you Linus?!"

You are a follower, not a leader.

Edit : the person who wrote, "Asimov was an atheist. You misunderstood the story" is the one you have to learn from.

[otikik]

No.

[a3n]

It doesn't necessarily need to be a religion.

It's clear that something like what we call The Big Bang happened. But we can only trace back time and space to the origin. What happened "before" the origin is probably unknowable to us on this side of the origin. The best we can do is speculate, in scientific or literary terms.

So think of this as speculative fiction, expressed in terms of the author's time.

Personally I thought the progression of man through the ages was the most interesting part of the story.

[_debug_]

> Personally I thought the progression of man through the ages was the most interesting part of the story.

That was true for me, too.

[philwelch]

Wow. HN is officially over when even "The Last Question" gets the top-comment middlebrow dismissal treatment.

[nbouscal]

Asimov was an atheist. You misunderstood the story.