Isaac Asimov's Vision Of The Future | Letterman

The legendary science fiction writer shares his thoughts on the future of medicine, communications and more.
(From "The David Letterman Show," air date: 10/21/80)
#isaacasimov #scifi #letterman
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[@DanielWright-np3fq]

I was one of Asimov's many fans as a youngster in the 70's. He always encouraged the expansion of the mind with a moral and ethical governance but a quietly heroic boldness. He was a visionary.

[@philip5940]

I may have read 3 or 4 of his books back then . There was something wooden in his style and I couldn't be interested to read anymore of his stuff . Arthur C Clarke and Fred Hoyle might be in the same category as Isaac Asimov. Fred Hoyle the astronomer wrote The Black Cloud which was a good read and he wrote a non fiction book ~~The Next Ice Age or suchlike , being also a good read and reference book . I don't know if I read C Clarke, I think I started but... Fred Hoyle had the original insight that we are all star-stuff which Carl Sagan liked to quote . The politics in Cambridge may have robbed him of the Nobel prize for such because of his expressed views in Scottish brogue about Anthony Hewish who stole the credit from Jocelyn Bell for the discovery of pulsars and it's he who received a Nobel prize for such. Jocelyn Bell has the credit of discovery today along with the Breakthrough Prize which is better than Nobel prize anyway. And now I recall I used to read the Science Readers Digest in the late sixties and seventies and there was always an essay by Isaac Asimov. I think I enjoyed reading those essays which is now I remember why I looked at reading his SciFi novels . My mother couldn't read his novels that I had . She'd pinch plenty of my other novels though.

[@rickseiden1]

He's my favorite author. I miss his writing a lot. I found his work so easy to read, understand and enjoy. It's a pity he died when and how he did. And it's sad that his son has put a dark mark on his legacy.

[@psdaengr911]

His books "hooked" me on science fiction before I started high school, motivated me to finish engineering college seeking a career in aerospace that would help me get to Mars. What his books didn't cover then was what it would take to get ordinary people off Earth, the massive problem of a government-controlled, military space industry wrapped in the sheep's clothing of NASA. I graduated as the largest layoff in the industry's history happened. I've been watching from "outside the fence" for 50 years for our government to realize that they screwed the pooch when they decimated the space program and turned NASA into an employment cash cow for the makers of no longer needed ICBMs, companies that have never completed a contract on time and on budget - literally engineer's hell. There's nothing manned that we contributed toward building to see in space except for one tiny failing international habitat, about to fall down, that's 1/1000th the distance to the Moon. If it weren't for one engineer devoting his personal fortune and life to it, the US would still be where we've been since 1970, looking up. The ISS would be at the mercy of Russia for supply delivery. Our greatest international cooperative space effort would fit in one of that engineer's current, privately funded, prototype SPACECRAFT. It's sitting on the ground because of a civilian AIRCRAFT regulatory agency. If the last prototype had been a USAF MILITARY experimental rocket that exploded, rather than nitpicking over a list that the contractor had prepared of the things that they had found and already fixed, the FAA would have been told to back off, shut up, and clear multiple launch windows.

[@Zipperscarr]

And humorous, even in technical writings.

[@florianadolf2256]

​@Zipperscarr Oh yes, he had a pretty good sense of humour. In that light I'd have loved to hear his take on what has become of the Star Wars franchise

[@wardengentles53]

How spot on he is about communication. "Everyone will have their own television channel, just as everyone has a phone number..." Sounds like KZbin to me

[@JK_Clark]

Social media

[@wardengentles53]

@@JK_Clark of course

[@markc871]

or video calling

[@wardengentles53]

@markc871 Any of it is amazing. I mean this is so early in the 80's, 40 years later this man would be impressed with himself

[@markc871]

@@wardengentles53 he seemed like a guy you’d want at your dinner party too.

[@vongregor1]

I read Asimov's books as a kid, and I had only seen him in his pictures on the inside of the book cover. I never saw him in any live footage. It wasn't like you could just go find a video of him and watch it back then. After so many years of reading his books I finally got to see what the writer was like. I'm so glad this was posted.

[@hackman669]

He is the founder of modern science fiction.

[@dizzy_derps]

I read his book Worlds Within Worlds and it sparked a lifelong fascination with physics.

[@judybloom8862]

I loved his books as a kid! My favorite sci fi writer is Ray Bradbury. Asimov is like an old friend!

[@Emptyfada]

First book was Foundation, got hooked on SF ever since. That was 55y ago.

[@philipvigil11-wr9vw]

Hienlien ​@@hackman669

[@electronwave4551]

Very clear in his communication. No waffle or mindless banter. You could learn from someone like this at a tremendous rate.

[@zaug1561]

For sure. He was asked a question and he answered it directly and to the point. Maybe I watch too much politics but this seems missing in our culture today. It was very refreshing!

[@Heiwvwivs]

Especially against this anchor guy

[@jimhickey2276]

Amazing. He makes statements that don't end in a question tone.

[@missjade2940]

you can see the gear moving while he talks, he was an extremely intelligent and charismatic man.

[@leaonardland9001]

@@zaug1561 "For sure. He was asked a question and he answered it directly and to the point. Maybe I watch too much politics but this seems missing in our culture today. It was very refreshing! " The exact polar opposite of a politician like F. Joe Biden. They are also separated by ~150 IQ points.

[@davidparnell1893]

I met the editor for Isaac Asimov's books after he retired from Boston's publishing industry, a man named Ben DeLuca. Ben was an incredible person, a graduate of Wofford College and a wounded survivor of the battle of Iwo Jima. He was a kind man and an articulate person with a remarkabe life story. Ben made me proud to be an American and I felt fortunate to have met and listened to such a remarkable American.

[@badnewswade]

Just listening to the way he talks, his calm, mannered, rational discourse, reminds me of the world we've lost when we gave up on reason. It makes me so sad

[@thefamily512]

That’s why we can’t let libs win

[@elmersbalm5219]

Goodness! He's one of the many that redeem the army of asses spoiling the world at that time.

[@bigLoser818]

That accent is called Aut

[@Alex_1729]

When exactly did we gave up on reason? And who is 'we' exactly?

[@thefamily512]

Reminds?

[@melissadana7829]

Asimov has always been my answer to the whole "if you could have dinner with anyone alive or dead..." question. So erudite, yet able to translate from the very technical to speak to the lay person. So knowledgeable about SO many subjects, and yet clever and witty not only in his work (especially his mysteries) but in person. Thank you SO much for posting this! This is such a gem of an interview and worth preserving!

[@ContentRemoved___]

That’s gross. You eat dinner with a dead guy?!

[@MikeSpille]

Well said.

[@OgbondSandvol]

​@@ContentRemoved___"if you COULD" (...) "alive or dead"

[@blackterminal]

I never knew Isaac had such a good sense of humour. Thanks for sharing this.

[@bite-sizedshorts9635]

You should read some of his science paperbacks from the 1960s and earlier.

[@simmo303]

See if you can his books on humour.

[@OneManBand-sm7jc]

Absolute creds to Letterman for a fantastic, in-depth conversation with a true visionary. Letterman barely seemed to even want to inject his typical quips but rather engaged Asimov at a very personal level and drew out some amazing insight from Asimov by doing so. This type of conversation foreshadows what Dave has grown into today.

[@abcmaya]

This is my first time seeing Letterman interview someone without making fun of that person. Great interview.

[@stephenpenrice1230]

His late-night persona was targeted to a particular audience. This clip is from his morning show.

[@danis8455]

Even letterman not dumb enough to miss the chance of Asimov just being Asimov

[@thekidfromiowa]

It was a different time. I can only imagine what a farce it'd be if Fallon interviewed him.

[@yesic7196]

He's also a big influence. Everyone is making fun of everyone these days. "It's just a joke". Letterman should go back to morning shows. Inform us don't offend us.

[@folk-talleyfamilyvideos2796]

I work for a biotech company that uses stem cells to produce insulin for people with Type 1. This guy hit it out of the park 40 years before we were in the clinics. Unreal

[@sdreaver816]

As someone who works with the communication industry, he’s also spot on there too with fiber optic and satellite communications.

[@aerenprice]

As a type 1 diabetic, I gotta say thank you for your work

[@stevensteven3417]

Is time travel real or how does this fiction writer knows all this stuff.

[@sdreaver816]

@@stevensteven3417 study of tech, progress, human behaviors, etc. Some of these things were in their infancy, but not always obvious. Example could be flying cars. We’ve had the tech to do this and could have, but understanding economics, logistics, and humans, the actual implementation isnt feasible and you don’t want average commuters flying above your head when they don’t maintain cars or drive safe. It’s impressive that he understood the human side enough to know which way things would drive

[@joestitz239]

​@@stevensteven3417very educated

[@TotinosPizzaRollz]

Such a treat to see Dr. Asimov again after all these years. He was one of a kind.

[@1968scottyd]

Pure genius! Love his work .

[@bobsponge1877]

lol, I like how you said this, as if Isaac was over your place for brunch a mere couple of years ago.

[@markburton5292]

was going to add a like but the number is to funny.

[@ngcastronerd4791]

The wonders of AI will one day allow humans to talk to Dr Assimov as if he was still alive.

[@bobsponge1877]

@@ngcastronerd4791 Well if Cave Johnson was any indication, Isaac's mind will have to fit in a boulder sized head.

[@philippemorin7634]

This is fascinating! Asimov definitely understands he's on a light and fun talk show. He seems to have jumped in with both feet, writing jokes himself and even working on his delivery as a comedian! He really could do every genre.

[@blaskoxx4954]

Dave - it's so weird seeing this he was kinda early in his career - but wow! Turned out great interview.

[@martinlagrange8821]

Isaac was a great racontuer and humourist, and loved jokes - not only in his SF, but in his non-fiction works he would put one in at any good opportunity. One of his good example collections (authored with his wife, Janet Jeppson, a distinguished author herself) was 'Laughing Space', a compendium of SF humour short stories.

[@graxxor]

He had a great sense of humor. He once convinced three scientists to collaborate on a paper just because of their names: Alpher, Bethe and Gamov!!! He was truly a king among the nerds.

[@martinlagrange8821]

Actually, that wasn't Isaac - rather, it was George Gamow himself, the last name in the list of the paper's authors (the paper itself won Gamow a Nobel Prize) - the ABC paper as it is known is all about stellar fusion nucleosynthesis of the elements. Gamow included Hans Bethe in the list of authors to round out the list as otherwise, in his words, 'It would not have been fair to the Greek Alphabet !' @@graxxor

[@mrvk39]

I think Dave wanted Asimov to give the audience a more wild science fiction future with crazy predictions, aliens, time travel, etc. But Asimov focused more on what was actually achievable as in science more than fiction with space stations and space shuttles and his predictions were almost 100% true. Russians eventually built their own shuttle (though later than he expected and it didn't fly for long) and space stations were and are very much operational. But these weren't so thrilling to the audience, and I don't think Dave thought this was a great interview

[@allendracabal0819]

"They'll do the last few after I'm dead, which doesn't strike me as fair." Don't worry, Isaac. You didn't miss anything.

[@L.L.2045]

hahaha nice one

[@tsiefhtes]

He might have gotten some enjoyment out of the prequels, maybe.

[@EinsteinsHair]

After Star Wars was successful Lucas said he wanted to do a trilogy of trilogies, which is why Asimov mentions nine. He took a long time to get to the second three (or the first three.) The later stuff may not have been part of his original vision.

[@allendracabal0819]

@@EinsteinsHair The later stuff most certainly was not part of his original vision. It has been well documented that Disney's purchase of Lucasfilm included story treatments for a sequel trilogy, but that these were set aside in favor of alternate plotlines when Disney produced those films.

[@sandal_thong8631]

@@allendracabal0819 A couple people did videos recently about his "treatment" and we didn't miss much. If he'd stayed home with his wife while Marquand directed _Return of the Jedi_ then maybe Leia wouldn't have been Luke's sister and he would have worked on the next set of movies.

[@elijahlessard8811]

Can we just say what an incredible interviewer Letterman is? That was impressive.

[@clifftanton8385]

The man thoughtful polite always let his guests have the podium class act

[@MobiusBandwidth]

so wise, and sorely missed, Isaac was a dear friend of my parents, (they're still alive, at 91!) I knew him in my youth, deeply intelligent and hilarious man. a rare bird.

[@deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee]

❤

[@daithi1966]

I own a bunch of his books. The fiction stories like _I, Robot_ and the _Foundation_ series are great, but it is his non-fiction books that are absolutely phenomenal. _Atom, Life and Energy,_ and _Understanding Physics_ are three of my favorites. They taught me more about science than anything I learned in school.

[@rakninja]

i've always enjoyed "azamov's guide to the bible." there's a lot of archeological and historical information i'd not encountered before that.

[@user-microburst]

Then try his history books, greece, rome and such. Amazing

[@dustintacohands1107]

He seems super level headed I wonder how many books he did in all

[@bite-sizedshorts9635]

@@dustintacohands1107 Over 221. :)

[@bite-sizedshorts9635]

I also liked his mysteries. Look for the "Black Widows Club" books. I have read every book of his I could find at the library and bought every one I've seen in the bookstores.

[@lorip.1110]

Only a bolo tie could mute the visual impact of mutton chops. Well played, Asimov.

[@Killkillkilldiediedie]

😂😂🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@KatharineOsborne]

Well done sir 👏👏👏

[@scottystcloud7086]

My man bringing the heat with those chops!

[@easterneuropeantracksuit3312]

Well played😊

[@davemoore6061]

Lol 😂

[@JustinMullally]

How amazing is it that we can watch Asimov say "Everyone will have their own television channel" on KZbin? I wish we still had his mind, not only so he could see what happened, but also to hear what more he had to say. The man never stopped thinking.

[@chetk4624]

I grew up reading Isaac Asimov and other SciFi writers (Ray Bradbury, Robert A. Heinlein,etc) and learned to love reading. What impressed me about this interview was David Letterman conducting a great and serious discussion. This was David at his best before he became a bitter old cynic.

[@Denverdude7]

I agree Dave really got sour. He became unwatchable.

[@ajpend]

Yes to both comments here. Letterman became an unwatchable sour old cynic.

[@sportsfanivosevic9885]

The SciFi artwork captured my attention and the stories captured my imagination.

[@timothy4557]

So true. A degeneration

[@enarccrane]

He is just 60 here...every coupla months he must have churned out a book...a real genius... excellent interview by Dave.

[@MrDiveDave]

My favorite author of all time. Across all his genres. He was one of the most brilliant people in history and as much recognition as he has, he is still very underated. Check out some of his non fiction and see just how much he recognized and understood about us and the world.

[@mudvalve]

This is the most respectful and serious I remember ever seeing Dave during an interview segment! 👍

[@philip5940]

It's the earliest I've seen of David Letterman. I imagine he was still developing a persona though to settle on .

[@SWalkerTTU]

@@philip5940 This looks like his morning show.

[@23ravensby98]

He was being outplayed and was smart enough to realize that.

[@mudvalve]

@@23ravensby98 good observation. I’ve heard that Letterman is actually quite intelligent, maybe this proves it!

[@justagirlsd3000]

He’s a fanboy 😂.

[@eTraxx]

I was sitting at the airport in St Louis waiting for a flight to Germany (Army) and remember reading that Isaac had died. I can still remember the shock reading that and feeling the loss to humanity.

[@Karmasu_L]

A big loss indeed. And he was right that quite a few of the 9 star wars movies (main story) came out after he died. Though i have a feeling he wouldn't have been too happy with those.

[@uncletiggermclaren7592]

I went to the library, and went to look in the catalog, which were binders of printed paper sheets, life was SO DIFFERENT before computers !. One of the staff had it, when they updated a page they took the sheet out, and typed the update onto the sheet. I read the name on the sheet and said "Hey, has Dr Asimov written something new ?" and she saw that I looked happy, she looked sad and said "No son, he passed away yesterday". She had added a death date to the page. I remember saying "Oh, do you do that for all the authors in the catalog ?" and she said something mordant like "Yes, eventually".

[@torstent8979]

Greetings from Germany, close to Ramstein Airport. Hope your flight did go well. Just starting to discover Asimov and his visions. Seems missed something great, I knew he was an author, but had no idea how special he was.

[@matrix101redorblupill4]

2024... wars all over the world. We have learned nothing

[@zeycus]

I have a perfectly clear memory. I was 17 years old, having lunch with my family while listening to the midday news. It was devastating; I couldn't help but scream. He was my hero.

[@ctsirkass]

He was so productive I believe he lived through books (his and others'). Wikipedia writes "wrote and published 40 novels, 383 short stories, over 280 non-fiction books, and edited about 147 others.". Just incredible.

[@lolocemoipopo7537]

You have an uneducated guy (didn't go past the fith grade) named Billy Meier who wrote thousands of pages of Sci Ff (or ... is it ?) available for free on internet, the plejaren contact notes.

[@darkzim3872]

thats so amazing when you add just the books he wrote 40 +383 + 280 is 703 books he only lived to 72 years old thats about 10 a year for every year he was alive its like a book every 7 weeks non stop for his entire life ive no idea how he did that

[@MsDuketown]

You forget his academic career. As an academic by he was equally productive.

[@playedout148]

Prolific doesn't quite cover it.

[@lakers7903]

It is wonderful that so many people still appreciate Asimov.

[@aarondavid5866]

true genius isnt forgotten

[@arnoschaefer28]

Yeah, but to be fair, most of them are probably in their fifties and sixties now. I doubt the current generation reads a lot of Asimov. All good things eventually fade away.

Issac Asimov was without a doubt one of the most intelligent human beings there has ever been. I am 70 and still own about 75-80 of his books, many that I have re-read over a dozen times.

[@elvisbrando6523]

Can an atheist really be that intelligent, seems ironic to me? To know a lot about much and yet nothing about everything.

[@kevvoo1967]

The answer would be YES!@@elvisbrando6523

[@Frusciante1221]

​@@elvisbrando6523 enlighten us with your knowledge on everything, oh divine one!

[@jenkem4464]

@@elvisbrando6523 "Can an atheist really be that intelligent, seems ironic to me?" I'm sure the irony of your own statement is lost on you. lol. It's well proven that Atheists are more intelligent, on average, than your everyday religious person. The more intelligent one is, the more probable it is that they are going to be, or become, an atheist.

[@ralph3333]

​@@Frusciante1221 God can't show envy; that's why He created @MarlonPresley.

[@tomallen5837]

Keep in mind for anyone who's looking at this who was born after the internet was invented, that this man's communication, with regards to technology in the future, was probably the most advanced information that many people in America would ever hear in their lifetime. Even back then you didn't get this sort of thing on network television. that could reach this vast majority of Americans. This was it. This was an important interview. Good to hear them joking as well.

[@joblo2671]

WOW he nailed the communication devices thing!

[@rakninja]

no kidding, this is even before sagan's "cosmos." that came out the same year of this interview. those of us who grew up with cosmos have always had popular science educators out in the popular culture. that wasent really a thing for those who came before.

[@philip5940]

It'd be interesting to research who was first with that. Arthur C Clarke or Isaac Asimov. Perhaps both came up with similar stuff independently . C Clarke actually . But no , Isaac mentioned stuff from 1950 .

[@srobeck77]

Unfortunately, all the man could do was fantasize about future worlds but had no real impact from any sort of inventions or advancing technology in any way.

[@mrvk39]

@@srobeck77 his calling was story telling. He was a biologist and had a PhD and had a position at Boston University, I think. But, he never produced research that matched his impact on imaginations of people. But, apparently, he was an incredible lecturer and students loved his science courses.

[@MusicalBox]

My favorite science-fiction author. The Foundation series in particular is a monumental masterpiece.

[@mattm56]

Predicting the future is a sure way to end up looking foolish in hindsight, but his guesses here were spot on. Biotech and genetic engineering are very hot right now, not that many people were talking about them then. What he said about communications was true as well, except regarding the use of lasers. Satellites and cell towers have indeed made the volume and quality of communication far better. And everyone having their own TV station-Hello, KZbin, Instagram, TikTok, etc! Sadly he was too optimistic about weapon spending possibly being obsolete in 30 years. Several parts of the world are getting caught up in an arms race, and sadly we may be coming closer to “no us” than no weapons.

[@moggadah]

​@@mattm56I think (but may be wrong) that it is laser diodes that transmit data in fibre optic cabels

[@BenMJay]

@@mattm56lasers are used for communications in a way. Fiber Optic transmissions is how we communicate. Light transmissions.

[@fig7047]

@mattm56 Starlink V2 satellites have lasers.

[@JustinMShaw]

@@mattm56 It was mostly the advent of nuclear weapons, to some extent the advent of large scale firebombing, that made so many predict either an end to war or an end to us. And interestingly, since the acceleration of the recent arms races you mentioned, we've seen an increase in worries about the end of us as well. We've been lucky so far to keep from using those massive destructions on a global scale. And those old futurists really expected that end by the time we have industry in space. Once we can drive those massive rocks around, we don't want anyone to be motivated to start throwing them at the Earth.

[@GarySchiltz]

I never realized how funny Asimov could be! He has always been one of my favorite sci-fi authors, but he may also end up being one of my favorite comedians! RIP dear Dr.

[@The_Rising_Ape]

"Individual science fiction stories may seem as trivial as ever to the blinder critics and philosophers of today - but the core of science fiction, its essence, has become crucial to our salvation if we are to be saved at all." Still one of my favourite Asimov quotes.

[@Tripp1993]

Same goes for me. His best quote.

[@psdaengr911]

Dr Asimov's formal education prepared him to have a career as a scientist (PhD in Chemistry). He taught at Boston University School of Medicine for almost 10 years, then gave up teaching duties and salary to write full time. This was probably the best professional decision he ever made because he was a better philosopher and storyteller. His stories, factual and fictional, opened more minds and inspired more people to enter the sciences and engineering with awareness, questions and visions of possible futures, than he could have taught as a college professor to would-be doctors of medicine.

[@roastbeefdinner]

his vison was pedophilia.

[@GK-cb3vc]

Yeeees and in modern times with the me2 movement he wouldn't survive for 3 days before being sent to the HR, getting cancelled on Twitter and ending his public and certainly teaching career for sexual assault. Funny how he never predicted THAT becoming an issue eh? 🤔

[@anji962]

take your pills @@GK-cb3vc

[@hrma6313]

@@GK-cb3vc Why would he predict stupidity?

[@MsDuketown]

yeah, as an academic he was as productive as a science-fiction teller. The Reddit also mentions Princeton, besides his own study, which he proudly credits, at Columbia University. Isaac Asimov's Guide to Earth and Space, 1992. This book is pretty ... It is based on a course that was taught by the authors at Princeton.

[@rodterrell304]

His novel “Fantastic Voyage “was the first book I had ever read on my own, fell in love with science fiction. Thank you Dr Asimov . Read a great many of his books .

[@aybee63]

What a remarkable human being. So relaxed, is like he's been on TV all his life!

[@StringSurfer7]

You can tell that Letterman is a big fan if Isaac. Nice to see the respect he shows him. 👏🏻😃

[@matthewadams3438]

This is so refreshing, a real conversation with pauses and awkward moments. They should bring this back to late night.

[@gaywizard2000]

You can't go home again I'm afraid.

[@bite-sizedshorts9635]

Today's "hosts" are too stupid for this to ever happen. Johnny Carson is dead and will never return.

[@matthewluke5315]

Late Night is too consumed with saying "orange man bad" at least twice a minute to ever comeback. Traditional TV is on the way out.

[@mengshun]

Grew up reading Mr. Asimov's books on science and a bit of fiction. Fantastic writer and always had that quiet sense of humor. Taught me a lot in his great method that made it easy and enjoyable to learn. Much thanks to Dave and his crew for interviewing him and letting him be him - not an obvious choice for late night gab TV but worth it for quality and providing much needed presence for a strong advocate of science, education and reason.

[@The_Philosopher_King701]

I was such an Asimov fan starting in the late 70''s. I have read about 130 of his books. The Sci-Fi was good, especially the Lije Bailey novels. But his non-fiction was out of this world. I loved how he talked about himself candidly even in his most serious books. His guides to Shakespeare and the bible are fantastic. I recommend them. Unless you are easily offended, don't read the bible book . He was not a "believer" so it is a secular review of the history and cultural aspects.

[@brucenator]

Which of his books is your favorite?

[@ralphhebgen7067]

I am still waiting for a general edition of all of his books.

[@Embur12]

He’ll have all of eternity to think about those chapters in the Bible...if you “believe” that kind of stuff!

[@Celticowl4136]

He was Jewish

[@PatRNBSN]

@@Celticowl4136He was an atheist, but grew up in a Jewish family. He told about someone insisting that he couldn’t just be atheist, who then declared that Dr. Asimov was a Jewish Atheist.

[@cactaceous]

Fantastic. These clips from Dave’s morning show are golden. More please. Thanks!

[@bite-sizedshorts9635]

I loved his morning show. I was laid off from a factory back then, and my layoff period coincided within just a few weeks with the run of the morning show. So I saw almost all of them. Edie McClurg was a hoot.

[@RobertNoss]

First time I see Isaac on video. Only seen him on pictures through his novels or in magazines talking about his work. Very interesting interview. Isaac was a very intelligent man who seemed to bestow an endless amount of knowledge, which is quite evident if you read his books, but also here in the interview. What a legend in literature.

[@TheCookster64]

He spoke at the Boston University graduation when my dad finally, after 40 years, got his bachelors degree. Very cool.

[@pcbacklash_3261]

As fate would have it, I'm currently reading Isaac's "Guide To The Bible." It's a very informative book, for believers and non-believers alike. He basically takes the Bible, book by book, and examines each story and narrative in an historical context. I've learned a lot!

[@bite-sizedshorts9635]

My copy is on a shelf where I can see it from where I'm typing.

[@elvisbrando6523]

I'd rather read about the Bible from a believer, thanks. How would he find the book of Revelation, since we kinda seem to be living it! 'We'll' be watching for that Third Temple!

[@pcbacklash_3261]

@@elvisbrando6523 You're missing out. His examinations of the text are very informative and even-handed. If you didn't know he was an atheist, it wouldn't be obvious from this book. As for "living" the Book of Revelation, people have been saying that for CENTURIES, always adapting its narrative to whatever events happen to be occurring at the moment. Same old nonsense.

[@Maxtana5]

​@pcbacklash_3261 they have been waiting for centuries for revelation but may 14, 1948 isreal back as a nation as isiah foretold the 3rd temple isn't far away! God bless you friend

[@pcbacklash_3261]

@@Maxtana5 Perhaps you could be more specific. To what verse are you referring?

[@PC4USE1]

Asimov-a brilliant writer and scientist speaking of cures for various diseases and genetic conditions. He was killed by an HIV tainted blood transfusion. One of the "Trinity" of Golden Era Science fiction writers. Heinlein ,Asimov and Clarke-all gone,all missed terribly by the genre.

[@MichaelPohoreski]

Back when writers understand that the foundation of _good Sci-Fi_ was *exploring the social and moral implications of technology.* Now in TV & Movies we get bland characters and preaching over “issues” no one cares about.

[@TheRealDuckofDeath]

@@MichaelPohoreski Whelp, the studios can only make what they figure they won't go bankrupt from making. Personally, I think Ridley Scott is one of those victims to misguided popular internet opinions wrecking the opportunity to hear the ending of an interesting story. The the "loud" internet sites insisted that the "Alien cinematic universe" should be about singleminded killer aliens, even though Scott clearly wanted to discuss the undoing of mankind by us creating superior intellect in AI. I mean, he made that pretty obvious by not naming the next movie Alien 2. But hey, it's easy to deconstruct anything on the internet with lazy buzzwords like plot devices, character arches and turn necessary editing into an argument against the editing. So, we get Marvel movies where nothing matters but the easy laughs and big CGI battles.

[@SuperCulverin]

Seychelles. They were all together at Clarke's estate in the Seychelles. This would have been *before* the group shifted their activities to Little St. James. It's not a secret - the Seychelles were called the "Island of Spies" for a reason. Clarke's preferences were openly known, and the open arrangement that Robert and Virginia Heinlein had wasn't a secret either. Read "Time Enough for Love" if you don't believe me. Children. The connection you don't want to make is children. I'm a fan. I was. It's how I figured it out.

[@KBRoller]

@@MichaelPohoreski I think there's an important distinction between "no one I relate to cares about" and "no one cares about". At the very least, either the writers care about it or their audience does. Because if a writer doesn't care about a topic, and their audience doesn't care, then they'd have no incentive to write about it.

[@peaceandlove544]

That sounds intensional

[@eric81766]

"everyone can have their own television channel the way we now have our own telephone numbers"

[@SJHFoto]

KZbin proves him right

[@timothyhuling749]

where? how? ; )

[@JK_Clark]

Social media

[@RM6737]

"And closed circuit television will become the great thing". Skype, Zoom, Teams...

[@pigpotty]

@@footoiwoh gimme that big ass chocolate bar 😂

[@rpbajb]

Asimov was a professor of biochemistry. His many scientific books fascinated and encouraged me to study and get my degree in chemistry, which became my career.

[@frankman2]

His non-fiction is phenomenal. Easy to read but still thorough and accurate.

[@KellySKline]

Dave is such a great interviewer. Love the calmer yet fast-paced style of this interview.

[@Sduell60]

Isaac Asimov's books have been my favorite for over 50 years. His short story, The Dead Past, was undoubtedly the most influential short story of my teenage years because i kept wondering, what if it ever came true?

[@sandro_j]

Such a humble guy. If Dr Isamov had access to the PC and digital writing resources we have today he likely could written many more books.

[@DespaceMan]

If he was here now in today's society they will cancel him for being a thinker with a self opinion, people who don't follow the narrative get shutdown now days.

[@CodexPermutatio]

Well, he got a Tandy TRS-80 Model II microcomputer around the year 1981. He wrote many books using it.

[@bite-sizedshorts9635]

He was never humble at all. He had access to word processing machines and early computers, but chose to keep using the typewriter. You have to think to compose on a typewriter. On a computer, you can always rearrange things and edit easily.

[@InAHollowTree]

Humble? Nah… Dude was a serial groper and sexual harasser; doing that takes a lot of arrogance. These aren’t accusations, btw--it was widely and well-known. People in his circle found his behavior hilarious. He was a good writer but not a great person.

[@heather1985october]

@@InAHollowTree Actually, Asimov was a great person. He was never charged with sexual harassment. He was the life of the party back in the 1950's and 1960's. People weren't snowflakes back then and weren't "triggered" by playful behavior. The pendulum has swung so far the other way which is quite unfortunate.

[@yesloow]

I just love that Letterman had Asimov on as a guest. These days, it’s rare to see fiction authors on late night talk shows and the only scientist they seem to invite is Neil DeGrasse Tyson. I would love to see the Nobel Laureates on The Late Show every year and maybe some fiction, mystery, or Science Fiction authors as well

[@TrustworthyFella]

Reading Asimov's Foundation, Jack Vance's Tschai and Frank Herbert's Dune really formed my vision of the future, and had a huge impact on me. Got them off my dad's bookshelf, probably a little too young, but that didn't stop me :) Men like these do so much for progress. They open eyes and feed fantasies. They are a special kind of pioneer! I never heard the man speak live before and it only heightened my respect for this man :) Great sense of humor and more or less how i expected him to be (or hoped) Dave has had the best job ever meeting some of our (and the previous) generations finest, and poking fun at them, or with them :)

[@cnath3466]

Wonderful to see these two NY Legends together. This was fascinating. Thanks Dave.

[@allendracabal0819]

Dave just happened to live in New York. He's a Hoosier.

[@DudeSilad]

What a remarkeable man. Although I've known about him all my life, I didn't know a thing about him. What a funny, charismatic and obviously super intelligent fella he was. Will dig deeper and find a book or two I might enjoy.

[@suemackenzie7491]

I have read most of his books including the autobiographies. Fascinating man.

[@rsgabrys----]

------------------------------ words of praise sincerely EvelynWood ....thanks4sharing

[@Syko1985]

The man is an absolute character. A pleasure to listen to him speak.

[@thedronedownunder3919]

The best thing I take away from this is how genuinely interested David Letterman appears to be. He's sitting with a phenomenal mind here. What a great clip.

[@papadocsamedi2544]

I love he's Foundation books, but until now I had no idea, that hes also such a great guy with a sense of humour.

[@HisAssholiness]

so that was one of daves best interviews all time , well done

[@QBG]

Asimov thought it was unfair that he wouldn't live to see the later Star Wars movies. Little did he know, ignorance is bliss...

[@ssl3546]

He was talking about Return of the Jedi, this appearance was in 1980. That said, I guess you could say that Isaac Asimov getting AIDS and dying was worth it if he didn't have to see the prequels??

[@tr1p1ea]

He said he thought they were making 9 films, hence why he would miss them.

[@jaysix8032]

Wow, as a lifelong fan It was wonderful to come across this interview and hear the great man speak. I'll go back and read a few of his books. What an amazing mind, intellect and person. Thank you for sharing.

[@98pharaoh]

So nice to see Dave listening and having an intelligent conversation without having to inflate his ego 👌

[@JiveDadson]

Forty-three years on, and we're watching this on a device that allows everyone to have their own TV channel that costs less to set up than a nice bicycle.

[@ericlackford6718]

And don't forget we have MultiVac, the universal source of information.

[@xportz]

@@ericlackford6718ChatGPT perhaps represents an early version.

[@GlenndalfTheMagician]

My Childhood hero! I read as many books as I could by him. I was saddened by his passing away.

[@michaelwhittierpearson]

That's what I said . . . except I guess I could have read more than I did. I did read many though, and have returned to reading mostly his non-fiction and autobiographies again in my evening years.

[@josephkamt2745]

This guy saw individual television sources for each person, much like a youtube channel available for everyone to make. Extremely good intuition on forecoming events.

[@philipareed]

25 years before YT. Incredible.

[@peggysullivan6615]

I taught myself algebra with his book “Realm of Algebra “ just a short perfectly written book. He made the concepts easy. I of course read all of his science fiction (all I could get my hands on) ❤

[@yvonneschlame8657]

Visionary man. Knowing, without judgment, that we will always come up with more new developments. Watching this from a small device which contains all the libraries to which he had access, needing to go there physically, every radio programme, TV station, newspaper, music, photograph and video imaginable, cordless, listening with cordless earphones from the Comfort of wherever I happen to chose to listen. We are living in the Future...

[@minelast7113]

"I enjoyed The Empire Strikes Back so much that when they finished it I jumped up from my seat and yelled, 'Start the third part!' At the rate they're going they'll do the last few after I'm dead which doesn't strike me as fair. 💀 Accurate prediction.

[@ansiaaa]

I've been reading Asimov since I was a kid but I didn't know he was so funny and witty in person!

[@mrvk39]

he probably made more money from giving talks on cruise ships (he, ironically, hated flying) than he did from his books. Those talks were the modern equivalent of TED talks and very popular.

[@davidovics92]

tbh some of those jokes seemed well-rehearsed... Not that there's anything wrong with that, just saying

[@neilwilson5785]

6:06 to 6:30 says it all about tech. It gets hard, then it gets simple again.

[@ArcGlowingVision]

I've never seen Dave left bewildered and not have a humorous facetious witty remark, he gave it a go in the beginning, but by the end Isaac had Dave melted in his hands.

[@johndodson8464]

"In 30 years we'll have no more wars." Nailed it.

[@eugenecrabs8622]

This is possibly the only thing he got wrong. Too optimistic a believer in a sound mind of the humankind. Alas...

[@jaybestnz]

This is a terrible thing to say, but Asimov died in 1992 and the Phantom Menace came out in 1999. Im just relieved that he didn't die having waited 17 years only to have to see Jar Jar Binks.

[@simonh9987]

lmao

[@scoutrifle6827]

He was really, REALLY brilliant. Next level human.

[@cptairwolf]

What an absolutely brilliant mind he had. He completely nailed every single prediction of the future.

[@ArmadilloGodzilla]

Not on diabetes

[@cwarky7325]

War

[@jgladwig]

Asimov got me through adolescence and his work has been in my life since. Unmatched insight, not just about science. I’d argue his clarity of foresight was due to his capacity to bring that massive scientific knowledge Into the broader human narrative and history. Rare combination. Unique giant.

[@AtomicPunk23]

12:11 "we will all have our own television channel". He predicted youtube and is now a part of youtube. Well done.

[@erogin7187]

The perfect interview. Great questions while showing great respect

[@mengshun]

Dave didnt appear comfortable with how to proceed at first but he shows a lot of composure and patience to let Isaac speak. He lets him finish and listens and adapts to play off how he responds. This is an example where Dave is humble to allow the interview and his guest shine. Dave isn't always my cup of tea but he deserves his accolades as an entertainer and interviewer. Well done.

[@dielaughing73]

​@@mengshunhis innate intelligence and curiosity shines through here

[@ancipital]

Not seen this before - very interesting stuff and he talked about things he got right in his books concerning future developments. In the last few minutes, he in a flippant bit of conversation in an interview essentially covered what he have and are doing now, especially in the past decade or so, so 30 years after this interview. Thanks for the insight

[@johnarmenta2199]

"I, Robot" - First book I read by Isaac Asimov. I was 10 years old, 5th grade, 1975.

[@sundawning]

Hey, we might have read that at the same time. 😊

[@smorgdonkey]

Excellent interview by Dave. He only took interviews seriously on rare occasions. This was one of them.

[@julienjrgensen3179]

I love the respect Dave has for Isaac, a great real human interview

[@curtisbailey2792]

The Robots of Dawn was my first Asimov book I read. Great author 👏

[@hackman669]

Robots are boss.😁

[@sixpakshaker88]

this is a fabulous segment. he really had his fingers on the pulse of the future. of course he was positioned to learn about fiber optics and miniature computers ahead of the rest of us.

[@Zed_Oud]

Thank you Dr. Isaac Asimov for being with us.

[@benfinesilver2250]

What a lovely man. I started to watch interviews of him. He was fiercely intelligent, witty, calm, non-confrontational and logical with kindness. You can imagine him having a positive contribution to any team he would be asked to work with. He had the ability to convince people through kindness of his ideas, that were correct. The world, especially today, needs more examples like him to be seen, so as to influence positive change. Definitely goes on my fantasy dinner table. What a fantastic human.

[@brookeb7994]

I agree. Just curious, who else would be at your dinner?

[@benfinesilver2250]

@@brookeb7994 haha… good question Brooke! That depends on how many guests you’re allowed. Definitely Davinci, as he was another kind genius, Einstein for his wisdom, Marie Curie as she broke the mold in a time dominated by men. I suppose it would be interesting to hear what Elon Musk would have to say to those people..and just for fun why not Joan Rivers and Charlie Chaplin 😆. Queen Victoria would need a lot of booze to come out of her shell. Maybe she could slipped some mushrooms 😆

[@vivalapsych]

I literally bumped into Mr Asimov when I was 13. I actuallymade sure I did and said “Excuse me”. I was a cheeky kid. I’ve got a signed copy of a paperback from that day that almost no one knows about.

[@InAMinMaths]

Nightfall. The fun they had. The feeling of power. Still influence me today.

[@stephenspencer4672]

Wow this guy was way ahead of the curve on so many subjects. Prolific as a writer doesn't even begin to describe his voluminous output.😅

[@glenwaldrop8166]

His predictions of space turned out pretty accurate. Funny, everything was analog when this was filmed, there were three networks (and PBS), long distance calls, independent radio stations, today we can actually chat with the ISS in realtime over video chat. He was right about lasers, only they were in fiber, still use tons of RF, virtually everyone can create their own streaming channel on various platforms...

[@Tugela60]

And a whole lot turned out to be wildly inaccurate, lol. People tend to forget about those, human nature being what it is. They want a visionary, so they focus on what he might have got right. Sort of like Nostradamus, who actually predicted nothing, but people who want to believe will allways see hidden meanings.

[@glenwaldrop8166]

@@Tugela60 I don't care about percentage accuracy, it's seeing how things can potentially happen. Things can go millions of different ways. What he called here was political, not scientific.

[@Tugela60]

@@glenwaldrop8166 Accuracy is important, otherwise you could just make a bunch of predictions and just get lucky on some. The point is that people focus on the stuff that sort of happened, but not on the details, which mostly did not. That sort of wishful thinking just reinforces a preconcieved idea that something happened. It is human nature, but it is not an accurate reflection of what was predicted, rather you find the predictions because you want to find them.

[@glenwaldrop8166]

@@Tugela60 I'm talking about the creativity coupled with reality, not accuracy in percentages. True creativity is hard to come by. Again, this was mostly a political prediction.

[@concinnus]

Radio only stayed on for short-distance and space-bounced use. Smartphones and laptops weren't clear paths in 1980, so the Wi-Fi/cell radio niche wasn't obvious. And even with the ubiquity of those, their short range means most traffic by bandwidth times distance is still over fiber.

[@Nicole-xd1uj]

I love this example of how TV can be informative and entertaining at the same time.

[@troyboy7610]

Wow this interview was so cool. And you can tell Dave was genuinely interested. Asimov was a brilliant mind.

[@brianegendorf2023]

I was such a fan of his as a kid. I wish I could have met him.

[@markschmidt65]

Totally awesome in every way. Great job, Dave.

[@realandrewhatfield]

Amazing what he was able to see so far ahead of his time!

[@mathemagics266]

It's amazing how he roughly picture the future technology. And still I try to find my childhood excitement about space and technology coming from his lovely books when things don't go smoothly and it's always my savior

[@scottzema3103]

Thanks again for a nice interview Mr. Letterman! So Asimov was struggling to predict the internet at the end of the interview. The lengthy description of laser beams, closed circuit TV, personal communications etc. describes something that he couldn't yet articulate at that time yet was aborning, the personal computer.

[@davidrussell8689]

What an incredible man and an incredible sense of humor!

[@EuropaWill]

What a genius Asimov is, and Dave is a phenomenal interviewer here. You can tell he is in awe speaking with him.

[@stevekirkby6570]

quite the humble genius. And very close to the truth with his predictions.

[@mem1701movies]

Like everyone having a “channel” KZbin

[@rodrigosebastianpagano8198]

He wasn't humble. And he was proud of it.

[@srobeck77]

There was zero humble there, were u drunk by chance when he went on about being the most handsome writer. 🍻

[@stevekirkby6570]

@@srobeck77 LOL... he was being self-depricating. Or where you drunk and didn't notice?😜

[@srobeck77]

@@stevekirkby6570 i think your current drink is spiked with stupid and u just chugged a full glass of it

[@rfernandezlorain]

❤ these old interviews and how they bring context to our memory. I hadn’t realised how overly stimulating we have had to become in interviews. Today’s interviews are faster, louder and depend on trite shock value to keep our depleted attention span engaged. We need to slow down our brains. 😅

[@nocareernofear]

Enjoy that Letterman mostly makes this a sincere interview, not too obsessed with cracking jokes. A lost art in talkshows