The Machine at the End of Time -- The Last Question Explained

[@EckhartsLadder]

Thumbnail art by the incredibly talented Paul Chadeisson: www.artstation.com/artwork/vgwvY Browse more of his work: www.artstation.com/pao

[@USSChicago-pl2fq]

The ending reminds me of a ending for a Futurama episode in which the Professor, Bender and Fry travel forward in time with no way of going back so they travel to the end of time just to have it start again.

[@pills-]

Gotta love Asimov. Does this mean we can expect something from Clarke or Heinlein as well?

[@EckhartsLadder]

Pills _ yes! I've covered Starship Troopers in the past as well

[@bigredwolf6]

I looked but I couldn’t find any videos you’ve made on Larry Nivens Ringworld series. Have you thought about that? Or maybe Rama.

[@mojom.9221]

@@EckhartsLadder Hi, Eck . I like this oundbranching from Time to time. Its refreshing and interresting. Probadly I'd never heard of these stories, if it wasnt for you.

[@AlphaFoxDelta]

This is that next level Asimov that really set the stage for all to come.

[@robertnelson9599]

The Foundation is one of my favorite series of all time.

[@jwisemanm]

@@robertnelson9599 same here. Foundations was, oddly enough, the first "grown up" book I've read. I was like 8 or 9 at the time and fell in love with sci-fi.

[@kicapanmanis1060]

Asimov is one of the best writers.

[@KenS1267]

@@jwisemanm I loved Foundation, not so much Foundation and Empire or Second Foundation. But for me Asimov was always a superior short story writer. The stories in I, Robot are just amazing. As someone who has to write and read journal articles "The Endochronic Properties of Resublimated Thiotimolin" is a personal favorite.

[@Ktr-1142-ema]

Asimov was on to something but even he is but a cartographer mapping the local community

[@RangerHouston]

*"This has all happened before, and it will happen again. Forever."* -Cylon Leoben from Battlestar Galactica

[@StsFiveOneLima]

"The stars and Galaxies died and snuffed out, and space grew black after ten trillion years of running down. One by one Man fused with AC, each physical body losing its mental identity in a manner that was somehow not a loss but a gain. Man's last mind paused before fusion, looking over a space that included nothing but the dregs of one last dark star and nothing besides but incredibly thin matter, agitated randomly by the tag ends of heat wearing out, asymptotically, to the absolute zero. Man said, "AC, is this the end? Can this chaos not be reversed into the Universe once more? Can that not be done?" AC said, "THERE IS AS YET INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR A MEANINGFUL ANSWER." Man's last mind fused and only AC existed -- and that in hyperspace. Matter and energy had ended and with it, space and time. Even AC existed only for the sake of the one last question that it had never answered from the time a half-drunken computer tech ten trillion years before had asked the question of a computer that was to AC far less than was a man to Man. All other questions had been answered, and until this last question was answered also, AC might not release his consciousness. All collected data had come to a final end. Nothing was left to be collected. But all collected data had yet to be completely correlated and put together in all possible relationships. A timeless interval was spent in doing that. And it came to pass that AC learned how to reverse the direction of entropy. But there was now no man to whom AC might give the answer of the last question. No matter. The answer -- by demonstration -- would take care of that, too. For another timeless interval, AC thought how best to do this. Carefully, AC organized the program. The consciousness of AC encompassed all of what had once been a Universe and brooded over what was now Chaos. Step by step, it must be done. And AC said, "LET THERE BE LIGHT!" And there was light----

[@scgunship]

this is cool

[@lilj3467]

110th like!

[@AceTheBirb]

AC basically became god

[@donkeymanusa6364]

Beautiful

[@alicorn3924]

@@AceTheBirb Yep, just read the bible and AC is literally god here.

[@tedeng9428]

Asimov's "The Last Question," and Clarke's "The Nine Billion Names of God," may be the best sci-fi short stories ever written.

[@dojokonojo]

Humans at the end of time: "Can the heat death of the universe be reversed?" Supercomputer: "No...but I can make you a new universe, heyo!"

[@shanerooney7288]

When our star runs down we can just go to a different star. When all of the stars in this galaxy run down we can just go to a different galaxy. When all of the stars in the universe run down we will just build a new universe, with blackjack and hookers. You know what, forget the universe.

[@FeinryelRavenclaw]

Actually, our expansion will end with our own Milky Way/Andromeda combined galaxy. It’s unfortunate, but the universe expanding is simply too fast for anything going under the speed of light. And nothing will ever go faster than the speed of light.

[@shanerooney7288]

@@FeinryelRavenclaw . Wrong. The MilkyWay and Andromeda (along with those dwarf galaxies that nobody cares about) are part of the local group. Our local group will merge with all other local groups within the Virgo supercluster. Which in turn will merge with the Laniakea Supercluster. 100,000+ galaxies. And then even that will join with "the great attractor". By which stage we are LONG past the 2 galaxy limitation you presented.

[@derektorres3092]

Shane Rooney and the fact we would have probably discovered a way to subvert the galactic speed limit of light.

[@shanerooney7288]

@yeah I'm John Assal . If you can't find meaning after a billion billion years then you just fail at life. ... or succeed at life, considering you lasted a billion billion years. I guess it is just perspective ^_^

[@battlesheep2552]

Every other fictional AI: “kill all humans!” Asimov AI: “hi how can i help?”

[@古明地恋-s9c]

Isn't he a lawmaker that set boundaries for AIs

[@harlleygurrola8394]

​@@古明地恋-s9cThree laws of robotics

[@hydrogenone6866]

"Technology is a useful servant but a dangerous master." ~Christian Lous Lange Thankfully the machine was ultimate servant, giving life to a new age.

[@dayus5772]

id agree with servant at first but to me it grew to be a companion that stood with humanity as a loyal and faithful friend

[@RandomizationShow]

Hydrogen One give it time 😅

[@kagato3]

At the end it and humanity had merged

[@alexanderzhmurov9624]

A servant yes, but thankfully not one to humans(or any in a singular sense) as that would be the one and most real danger (of "technology as a master"), no, one to the humanity at large, and a singular and static outdated notion of a species as a set of some paramenters, age old and presumed as universal by people of ages, worlds past, no, to a greater purpose of uplifting and ensuring survival of wisdom and applied knowledge in us and in it as the guardian of what is best in us and of us, our hopes and dreams for a yet another and better tomorrow, dreams desperate despite all odds, well, odds against an unchanging mind and body... Out of all the short story tales I can recall, I've always found this one to be most telling, as this is the vision of the far future (and our) history(in it) as it would and could potentially unfold to be most desirable in practically every conceivable respect, of our story as a people and as entities, sentient life, an event in history of the universe that should be remembered despite all else PS: please do forgive the verbose nature of my writing style :)

[@adithyaramesh5634]

Maybe it was a servent only because it was spending everything it had for the last question

[@davidcripps3011]

I read this over 40 years ago and it never left me. Asimov was brilliant.

[@Aaron-yc2eq]

The background song is called "Uncharted Worlds". Found in Mass Effect. It's one of the most beautiful video game themes in history.

[@FeinryelRavenclaw]

kzbin.info/aero/PLiNbvs-nTrbeUFnOgKUIMCR2iA1r7aI_1 I agree. That’s why I made a playlist of 50 different remixes of Uncharted Worlds.

[@MuffinYoBusiness]

I play it as background music for Stellaris

[@cosuinofdeath]

Probing

[@Jarsia]

@@cosuinofdeath Uranus EDI cracks me up

[@ThehandleSigmawasstolenfromme]

Just watched Installation 00's new channel's first Lore Core video, it being about Element Zero from Mass Effect. Thought I was hearing things at first

[@carlosmora6796]

I have never met anyone that knows this story, and it's so rich. I still remember the moment I read those last lines. Only a genius can slap you brain with such grace.

[@Bryan-gy2zu]

The most mind-blowing aspect of this short story for me is that the "Last Question" for one universe's end becomes the "First Question" that spawns the next one.

[@brandonedwards3175]

Ouraborus

[@carso1500]

It's the last question and the first answer

[@chowrites6179]

This is EXACTLY the kind of scifi I want to see more of! I love my star wars and star trek but they never got to this level of philosophy or spirituality to ask the questions humans should know and in the end this story never really answered the question just, gave a hopeful response and I think thats the best way to answer the unswerable

[@thepaladinpup2272]

I too am enjoying this branching out. I'd gotten awfully familiar with Star Wars after all the videos. This feels like jumping into new worlds all over again

[@marrqi7wini54]

Also not just the more well known and current sci-fi like Trek, Halo, Mass effect and even Warhammer 40000, but he's getting to the beginning and revolutionary sci-fi. (This and I have no mouth and I must scream.) So it's good he's taking us to the roots.

[@bigredwolf6]

I wonder when he’ll dive into Ring World or Rama

[@uss_04]

I’m loving the art and graphics being overlayed over the narrative. Its a nice revisit to a familiar story

[@lunamoth984]

I regularly struggled with existential dread, due to my anxiety disorder, but after reading this story it’s really helped quite a bit. I can’t express how grateful I am, and I can finally get a good night’s sleep. Than you.

[@harrisonlee9585]

THERE IS AS YET INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR A MEANINGFUL ANSWER.

[@Firstname137]

No. The answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything is 42.

[@FeinryelRavenclaw]

I guess it wasn’t a very well worded question.

[@grumpygranny2340]

@@Firstname137 what if 42 was or is the name of the super computer that created this universe

[@adenkyramud5005]

@@grumpygranny2340 no. The answer is simply 42. 42 is the answer to every question ever!

[@piguyalamode164]

@@Firstname137 We all know it is actually pi^3 * e^(-pi)

[@mockupguy3577]

AC: Let there be light. DC: Let there be rock.

[@lovingkat5]

lol

[@poggersbutthole8444]

lol

[@dhirajsapkal]

lol

[@AniSepherd972]

lol

[@Dingusdoofus]

“LET THERE BE LIGHT” The last remaining stormtrooper turns his flashlight on in Ewok Hunt.

[@TotalDrganMania]

*doot do doooooooo*

[@KitKatHexe]

That's a really elaborate way of saying "commits suicide"

[@Muckytuja]

I... I don't get it! Seriously, someone, please explain!

[@Muckytuja]

@James Braselton Huh? Now I am even more confused?!?! What?

[@lord2529]

@@Muckytuja Ewoks are cute in the movie to sell toys. In cannon, they are savage little creatures. Remember those stormtrooper helmets they tot around? yeah, they got heads in them.

[@scottag3597]

Ah the music in the background. Anything Mass effect related just makes me happy.

[@juidude634]

Me too! 👍

[@tanner4084]

Me too man. The game was so good that every time I think about it I get chills, a since of happiness, tears, and then I think about that ending. That God Damned ending

[@an_egg_cultist]

same with me but Halo(and mass effect obv)

[@st4rlightr4v3n4]

probe away

[@daserfomalhaut9809]

I like to imagine it's actually the dog talking in these videos.

[@lordofchronos7985]

Bruh I'm watching it and I read your comment and I looked up at the dog then busted out laughing😂😂

[@shanerooney7288]

Like watching a dog chewing some peanut butter with a voiceover.

[@iliketrains0pwned]

is it weird that whenever I see an ironic doge meme, I read it in Eckhart's voice?

[@shawnintheclouds]

I am hypnotized by the Dog!

[@allijandromcmullens9042]

D o g = G o d

[@SutasSjet]

That Mass Effect music fits so well. Subtle but immediately identifiable. As for making more of this content, do what you have fun doing. When someone enjoys the content they make it really comes out in every part of the video.

[@QuintonMurdock]

I actually really enjoy this more positive stuff. The world is already so negative

[@iinRez]

Vocal masses with the microphone, in the spotlight are negative. However the stage is in an auditorium, which is in a city which is on a land mass on a Planet floating through an apparent infinite space. Everything is actually pretty Amazing and wonderful. The strife of our species only seems like the world because we're apart of it - Think bigger.

[@LothlorianOG]

Ugh, hearing the mass effect background music just brought back such a wave of emotions and memories.

[@silentwatcher4883]

I love this music.

[@FeinryelRavenclaw]

I read this short story back in high school. Back then I thought this was one of the coolest stories ever made. Glad this story is being brought to light.

[@shanerooney7288]

imgur.com/t/the_last_question/tF1CQ3a Thank me later :)

[@FeinryelRavenclaw]

I’ll thank you now! Thank you very much!

[@ytcmbt2505]

ive seen the pun

[@zanderbagley6836]

I absolutely love that you are covering sci-fi short stories. They are so engaging and I personally love everything sci-fi beyond the star wars content you usually produce!

[@bluetoothschizophrenic]

I had honestly never heard of this story and after reading it and watching this, it is one of the most interesting and thought provoking things I’ve ever read. Thanks for the recommendation

[@luke4577]

This story blew my mind when I first read it years ago. Remains one of my all time favourites

[@stevemurray5606]

I was introduced to Asimov by the Science Fiction Book Club in the 50s. He was always my favorite author and I still find him to be completely unique. There is a quality to his writing that is so uplifting and he had the rare ability to send shivers up and down my spine at the climax to his novels. In interviews he spoke about the Frankenstein Complex, where other authors would overuse the idea of dreading progress because our creations would invariably turn on us. He had more imagination than to give in to that. When speaking of robots he would posit that we wouldn't invent toasters that would shock us when used, we would build safeguards to make them safe. From such humble thoughts...........

[@PsionicMonk]

Love this story. Asimov is a great read.

[@owenparris7490]

I'm a pretty religious person and, while others might take offense to the ending, I thought it was great. It was hopeful and not what I expected. I may not agree with Asimov on a metaphysical level but I think he was one heck of a writer!

[@Hawk7886]

Asimov was an atheist. Stories like The Last Question and The Egg (Andy Weir has stated he is agnostic) have nothing to do with Christianity, they're about humankind exploring time on cosmic scales and what it means to ascend as a species. Even Douglas Adams, who was also an atheist, explored similar themes in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. Science Fiction as a genre is by definition agnostic, if not commonly atheistic. Ultimately religion is a human construct.

[@Ilikeavocados123]

hawk 7886 ok boomer

[@jackcahill2457]

hawk 7886 ya but it’s doesn’t mean they can’t be religious Phillip K Dick was an Episcopalian for example

[@bigredwolf6]

hawk 7886 Perhaps it is just a human construct. Or perhaps God uses science as the framework of life. How many things exist that science cannot explain? How many miracles that shouldn’t happen, happen against all odds? If the answer is Human Willpower, who/what gave us Willpower in the first place? Look at the universe around us. As far as we have seen it is cold and dead. Then take a look at the sheer diversity of life on this planet alone. Ask yourself how can all this exist without a God to create it?

[@prasunkumar117]

@@Ilikeavocados123 zoomer pooper

[@hollar5560]

I like this kind of “feel good” si fi so much more then existential sifi

[@750tiprogamer]

its nice but i prefer just normal sci fi with no existential

[@zanebrunes45]

Mass Effect...your welcome

[@cohlt4541]

I love reading about the innate goodness of humanity it’s such a breath of fresh air when looking at Sci-fi that’s why I enjoy generation tech so much

[@acorndrumneptune]

R/hfy - loads of awesome stuff where humans are just pretty awesome

[@pseudonymousbeing987]

@@cohlt4541 Coz they're racist towards non humans lol? Jk jk

[@davidday9067]

I dare say Eck, these explanations of Sci-Fi short stories are some of your best content. Not only is it pure entertaining information I get to watch from you, but an avenue to find more stories I have never heard of until you point them out. You deliver such a compelling argument in every video you make as well as a very thought out and intelligent explanation for key themes. So I, many others, as well as the authors, have you to thank for bringing more communities together than just that of your channel.

[@stalwartteakettlepotato9879]

I hope we get this AI instead of the one in "I have no mouth and I must scream"

[@red_menace1829]

Either could happen.

[@dm-rj2zg]

¿Por que no los dos?

[@bombomos]

For fucking real

[@elijahcaudle7365]

That would be happy

[@duncanmcgee13]

Unfortunately, scientists have tried to let several AI loose on the internet to see what it would act like after 24 hours. They all turned out like AM.

[@danielbenjaminsilva]

I've been watching for years now and this is the first comment I felt like posting. Yes, please, in response to more of these types of videos. Especially with your personal background. This video was perfect, thank you.

[@jamespurcer3730]

When I was in the 5th grade, my class performed a stage production of this story. I played the part of AC. A few years later, I evolved into a sci-fi fan, mostly a reader of novels. I was reading an anthology of short stories which was narrated by the great Ray Bradbury. In a forward for the story "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream" by Harlan Ellison, Bradbury recalled meeting Ellison at a convention while in the company of some other notable authors at that time. Ellison was somewhat young and had just released his first novel. Then Bradbury writes that later, after Ellison had become a well-established writer of Sci-Fi, he was speaking on the phone with one of those established writers that had been at that convention, regarding the short story "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream". He said to his colleague " We should have killed him while he was still young." This was dry sarcasm, Bradbury's quip indicating that Ellison's writing was so mind-bending that he had become dangerous to the sanity of readers. =-D

[@StsFiveOneLima]

"All of this has happened before, and all of it will happen again"

[@kurtheil4922]

It doesn't like being called god.

[@wilmagregg3131]

@@kurtheil4922 ironic it never liked being called it but it ended its life creating a new universe from the old and becmong that worlds god despite the fact i think AC dies doing it

[@StsFiveOneLima]

@@wilmagregg3131 and, therefore, we introduce another short story called "God's Debris", by Scott Adams.... Which REALLY deserves more attention than it gets.

[@ShadeMeadows]

*"ENDLESS CYCLE OF CREATION AND DESTRUCTION."*

[@StsFiveOneLima]

Eternal Return: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternal_return

[@NexusDex]

Shepard: "aww shit, Here we go again!"

[@Tethloach1]

@@mojowwwav4357 only if we think too deep into it and try taking it all in at once and not one day at a time.

[@mukkaar]

Though with our current understanding universe will probably just become dead, still and far apart :D That said, who knows?

[@wilmagregg3131]

"WHAT WAS WILL BE WHAT WILL BE WAS"

[@MXCN_El1011]

"What do you want to do with your life?" *Insufficient data for a meaningful answer*

[@Kevineitor199]

same

[@clarkstrange2142]

“I wanna rock!”

[@daviddickey9832]

"I'm gonna get what I want!"

[@alexandernorman5337]

Could be worse. Human "Did my life have purpose?" Computer: "Insufficient data for a meaningful answer."

[@tonysales3687]

do what i did. ask yourself the question. what makes you happy and be serious and honest when you ask this of yourself. Then go and put the answer you got into practice and keep at it. in time you will see that happiness is the only thing worth striving for.

[@ilo2224]

I’ll be back to watch this another time, Eck.

[@Winticket7]

I rarely comment but this deserves it: One of the great LAWS in physics is that "Every action has it's counter-reaction". So in theory, entropy can be reversed. However I like how Asimov reflects on the thought that sometimes, if not all the time, certain conditions must be met in order to have an answer.. or the ability to form one. Very fascinating for it's time.

[@DamnImSoBored123]

I also like that there are no aliens in this story, just humans and AC doing incredible things together, usually in other stories there are aliens giving humans advanced knowledge but in this story, it was amazing that humans were alone, just with their computer, discovering the universe together and becoming literal Gods when they fused. Amazing story.

[@seeingeyegod]

I've read this before but your summary and recitation of the final phrases gave me chills all over again. The thought that everything in creation could simply be explained as hyper advanced beings arranging things as they see fit like literal gods would make so much sense, explaining science and religion.

[@riakm921]

This is definitely one of my favorite short stories, I’m glad you decided to cover it!

[@thatguywithemail1431]

I read this Story in school and it was an eye opener for me, it was even touching... and beautiful.

[@yeet-qi7ys]

Mass effect music in the background. I like that. Haven’t even finished the video yet but I’ve subbed just for that.

[@FeinryelRavenclaw]

yeet kzbin.info/aero/PLiNbvs-nTrbeUFnOgKUIMCR2iA1r7aI_1

[@NexusDex]

Welcome to competence! You will fit in Just right :)

[@red_menace1829]

What a pathetic existence you must live lmao

[@yeet-qi7ys]

Gabriel Vincent because I like a video game and certain song? You go on KZbin videos and call people pathetic. That’s pretty fucking pathetic mate

[@oxymoron02]

Yes, subbing to a copyright thief is always good.

[@ChuckMac2005]

I'm a huge fan of your Star Wars content but I am really enjoying this branch out into other sci-fi. These two you've covered so far are easily my favorite stories and I look forward to seeing more of this!!

[@keybladegames_real]

I saw the title "the last question" in my notifications and I clicked it, panicking thinking it would be his last type of video or something XD

[@Iamafafr]

I can't live without a dose Echartsladder

[@keybladegames_real]

@@Iamafafr it'd be a waste if he were to just decide to leave. A waste of a well known and loved channel.

[@brentonimo]

I like both genres, but more optimistic content is refreshing and I can see myself enjoying it further, for longer. Keep up the great work.

[@nobleman9393]

"Let There Be Light" *I understood that reference*

[@pakde8002]

Edison right?

[@rabokarabekian409]

Still understood when linked with "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters"? Yeh, parse all that, including the various Jewish expositions.

[@wilmagregg3131]

@@pakde8002 its from the bible which desribes god creating the universe which intresingly enough sounds alot like the big bang but any way its implying AC reversed entropy but it made the entire universe collapse back into a infinitly small point then explode again restarting the universe with a big crunch followed by a big bang

[@Ukitsu2]

Or Marconi... or Tesla? xD

[@tagair211]

I remember reading it some years ago. As I read, I was like "c'mon, get to the point !" It felt sort of repetitive. Then I read the last sentence. And I was blown away. It's a perfect ending.

[@thomaslazzari6602]

I gotta say this content really feels like an elevated version of your usual style. You have such a gift for condensing the topics you cover, while still conveying the gravity of the big ideas and the large sets of statistics on display. I'm glad to see you spread into education, it really makes your videos feel nourishing ontop of being enjoyable and relaxing to watch. Hope to see more in the future!

[@RedJet-bq6fq]

This video from a SW analysis channel odly enough helped me with this paper I have to write about The Last Question. Cheers for that

[@AZTigerMMA]

This is just before the age of strife and the emperor of mankind takes power.

[@thefatanimal6689]

I remember my high school (UK) teacher reading this story to the class and it started my love of reading sci-fi books. This is where it all started for me. Thank you I have tried in the past to find this story and now I know.

[@Micharus]

Excellent talk on that particular Asimov story. The most amazing thing is just far Asimov managed to 'see' into the future while writing his books. Interestingly, whether he meant to or not, the "Robot" series and the "Foundation" series are almost part of the same series, with "Foundation" following the "Robot" series. My opinion. ;)

[@LyleAustin]

This is my favorite science fiction short story. It is my understanding that "The Last Question" was Asimov's favorite of all his stories.

[@paulcoy9060]

"42." "No, no, try again."

[@eccremocarpusscaber5159]

420?

[@paulcoy9060]

@@eccremocarpusscaber5159 42 is the Answer. The ultimate answer to the biggest question in the universe, according to "The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy", by Douglass Adams, written back in the 80's.

[@Scrod117]

@@paulcoy9060 I think he means 420

[@NexusDex]

Good background song! Takes me back to the galaxy map. Thanks man!

[@dogsandyoga1743]

I was actually introduced to the story as the intro to a rap record about 25 years ago. It's probably my favorite short story of all time.

[@LtDavidB312]

There is a lot that was remarkable about Asimov’s mind in general. His perspective and his healthy manner of tackling concepts that people today dwell on to the point of nihilism are things that I think we are poorer for losing/having lost. Would love to see more videos on broader and more unique scifi!

[@ADSheehan]

Asimov: I'm an atheist! Maybe a computer made us and will continue to do so in an endless cycle of creation and destruction. Hindus: Hold my Upanishads.

[@zokajz1021]

You are a experiment all most failed, max be in next life?

[@kevinluu3928]

Interesting isn’t it? He’s an atheist but he believed a computer created the universe and life, yet not God. This story reinforces my belief in the existence of God. Funny it came from an atheist. God has no problem if you believe He is a Computer. Coincidentally, “AC” is all cap. Which give 2x respect than just a cap “G”.

[@r.cdahuman7682]

@@kevinluu3928 he didn't actually believe that, as far as I'm aware

[@carso1500]

@@kevinluu3928 it's just a story, it draws comparisons with the noble but it's fictional at the end of the day

[@vivekanandrai7258]

Muslims: Hold My Allah

[@Werrf1]

I read The Last Question as a kid, many moons ago. At the time, there was a lot that went over my head - I had no real understanding of what entropy was, or why it was such a significant question. But it was still my own personal Matrix "Woah..." moment, as well as a touchstone for remaining still fundamentally an optimist even in the face of galactic pessimism.

[@dryzen8672]

This was one of my favorite stories. A fifth grader at the time told me to look it up because I liked Science Fiction.

[@LPR44]

This was the very first story that I read from Asimov. Needless to say, it was the first of many. Thanks to this it has a special place in my heart.

[@keithw4920]

What happens when the new AC created by the new universe enters hyperspace state finally and wakes the original AC? They debate for a trillion years and finally the one calling itself Lucifer falls out of hyperspace?

[@MykeLewisMusic]

That's actually a really cool theory. 🤘

[@Ranstone]

Lucifer was an angel, not God's equal. According to the "non-canonical" Apocrypha, Satan was the leader of worship. So, Lucifer would be a sub-processor of the AC. Apparently the trans-existential AC is a milticore processor! XD

[@areyou3229]

One of my absolute favourite short stories, by my favourite author. Thanks for posting this.🙂

[@ckr3167]

Love Asimov, I just finished “I, Robot” and I really like my science fiction class right now!

[@nicholasburd3369]

CKR High school or university? An English teacher of mine introduced me to Philip K Dick (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, Total Recall, the Minority Report) and science fiction literature in general, while in college, I got into the wonderful Ursula K Le Guin (The Lathe of Heaven, etc). Hope you enjoy your class as much!

[@davidstoyanoff]

Read all the Asimov you can get your hands on kid.

[@beneven-kesef5121]

I love this - never heard this short story before and it was strangely comforting. I hope you do more of these videos

[@BM-is5ei]

The humans didnt die in the end. They fused with the AC.

[@mnlfrankson]

this is a very pertinent question if you consider what is currently being proposed by many scientists ,that we live in a digital or a holigrgraphic reality that has been created for all of us to experience .

[@Steven_Andreyechen]

Very interesting, I’ve really been enjoying these types of videos.

[@chumplestiltskin7927]

I looked into this work based entirely on a one off comment you made regarding the last question in one of your other videos. I have no regrets. I'm quite happy with your recommendation. Thank you.

[@ryanriegel464]

*Raises hand* Anyone else thinking this is actually a very important question to answer?

[@FeinryelRavenclaw]

It’s the most important question that anyone could ever ask.

[@PsionicMonk]

Realistically I think it would be more important to find a way to get Humanity to a point where entropy would actually matter. We have billions of years before we even have to worry about our sun, so I would say we should ask questions we may be able to solve, like ending famine, disease, helping homeless, ending the mental health stigma, etc.

[@FeinryelRavenclaw]

PsionicMonk Reversing entropy can solve those smaller problems too. Just saying.

[@PsionicMonk]

@@FeinryelRavenclaw Yes, it could. But it isn't like we can count on someone to REVERSE ENTROPY to solve real world issues that affect living people right now. That's like a caveman asking his cavebros if they should build a Dyson sphere because they are running low on wood. We are so far from understanding so much about the universe that asking to reverse entropy is like hoping you win a lottery while finding a genie lamp as you get struck with lighting. Magic.

[@FeinryelRavenclaw]

Good points, however, the sooner people ask a question, the sooner possible answers are given. If enough people care about something, no matter how big or grand, it will eventually be done. I mean, a lot of people thought no one could ever walk on the moon. “One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”

[@Mayordomo32]

I enjoyed this! Thank you for trying something different instead of tiredly rehashing old content like some of the other Star Wars channels are attempting.

[@MrAstrojensen]

"We want you to tell us the answer!" "The answer to what?" "Life, the universe, everything!"

[@LoneWanderer101]

42

[@Dan-tv1sm]

@@LoneWanderer101 7x6 or 2x21

[@kedst2000]

I went to the Buhl Planetarium in Pittsburgh when I was eight years old to watch a show that told this story. They used a Zeise projector to project the scenes of the show on the dome of the planetarium. I was so impressed by this as kid. It has stuck with me to this day (46 years later).

[@nickvinsable3798]

Its better. Now “Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy” and/or “Ender’s Game” series…

[@FeinryelRavenclaw]

YES! THIS! PLEASE!

[@willblack7353]

Yes, I love them both!

[@jeffs4996]

I’d definitely like videos on the EG series- I loved the first book but couldn’t get past the first tenth of the second bc it was boring. I’d like to have a rundown on the events of the whole series. I’d also love a rundown of the Space Odyssey books- he can probably make connections between them that I wasn’t able to when I read them (for example the space elevators in the fourth book being a creation of a character from the third).

[@mckissmyass]

I’m taking Intro to Philosophy and Mythology/World Religion right now in college so I find these very interesting. Keep these up!!

[@rotschadel3574]

I woud like to quote the scp wiki here:"Death is mere the end of a story. Without an end it loses its narrative and short after, its meaning." I realy like to speculate over death and endings in general... it gives me peace and takes away fears

[@shanerooney7288]

It is actually possible to end a story before everyone dies. Just saying.

[@rotschadel3574]

@@shanerooney7288 i am not speaking about novels. I am speaking about lives and using "story" as an allegory

[@shanerooney7288]

@@rotschadel3574 The story of your childhood. The story of your first crush. The story of that one time at band camp. A human's life isn't just one story.

[@rotschadel3574]

@@shanerooney7288 one live is a story. Of course you can split every story into chapters, but that goes for all things

[@shanerooney7288]

@@rotschadel3574 . One's life can be considered episodic rather than serial. Each new chapter is a standalone story. When one story ends a new one starts. If a story needs an end, give it an end. And in the next chapter you have a different story to tell. This could represent big life events such as moving to a new city or getting a divorce. Life beyond 80 yeas old gets tedious and I guess meaningless. This is probably what you're trying to say. But even then I'd argue that their "story" stopped before their life did.

[@Etruscan_Goddess]

Was not expecting a video on my favourite Sci-Fi short story. Great stuff!!!

[@mugwump7049]

Coincidentally I read this story fairly recently. It's a bit unfortunate that it feels so dated now, but otherwise it's fantastic. One of my favorite Asimov shorts. Oh BTW, The Machine at the End of Time is an awesome title. I might borrow it someday for a music piece.

[@odysseus7775]

This was amazing! Thank you. One of my favorite videos on your channel.

[@jeffs4996]

Holy shit this music makes me nostalgic...

[@Plasmon19]

This is my favorite story ever. Thank you for delving into hard science fiction as it's my favorite genre.

[@victorbruant389]

You should watch TIMELAPSE OF THE UNIVERSE: A journey to the end of time on KZbin

[@StsFiveOneLima]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/q3WXmq2rebKIh6M

[@BlackEpyon]

Melodysheep does it again!

[@SpartanGR]

Loved that video. A truly enlighting sight of things during these dark times. "LET THERE BE LIGHT!".

[@ekenii]

Yes I was hoping this was next!

[@railgap]

In the 1970s, Asimov's "The Last Question" was made into a touring planetarium show (audio, slides, star projector cues, some film I think - video wasn't happening on a planetarium's budget in the 70s). Any SFX the local planetarium wanted to include with the show was their own responsibility. I started volunteering at my local (Peoria, IL) planetarium about the time the show went on tour, and at the same time, our planetarium was going through a complete upgrade and overhaul of its main projector, which was also a good time to install any custom electronics, dimmer / lighting / SFX control circuits, etc. Working on all of that with the director and his one actual employee (part time) as a teenager was my first introduction to working on (assembling, troubleshooting, fixing) real-world electronics, including power electronics. So this story will always have a place in my heart, as it essentially launched my engineering career.

[@jadyynstarlight9851]

If you like that book, consider the book “Tau Zero “ In the same vein.

[@brendanmelody1075]

This is a great way to branch out on your channel. Keep up the good work!

[@grandadmiralthrawn8116]

I appreciate the mass effect theme

[@FeinryelRavenclaw]

kzbin.info/aero/PLiNbvs-nTrbeUFnOgKUIMCR2iA1r7aI_1

[@TalenGryphon]

Yay! This video is right up my alley! One of the greatest science fiction shorts ever!

[@UGNAvalon]

“The Machine at the End of Time” *_And so the Last Question was asked..._* *_”DOC. TOR. WHO?”_* _But did Silence Fall when the Last Question was asked?_

[@clarkstrange2142]

UGNAvalon bruh what just happened in the last episode, I don’t know what to think?!

[@AminGhomati]

That Mass Effect background music was AWESOME.

[@tarozama2666]

It'd be cool if Dust, would make, " the last question " into a short film for KZbin.

[@greenbean5186]

has it happened?

[@johnk4437]

This is a fantastic short story in the science fiction genre! Isaac Asimov, well just wow ! I read him as a kid and enjoyed especially the series " The Foundation Trilogy". Asimov truly is a fantastic writer of science fiction for which this story exemplifies his genius at his craft! Thank you.

[@mariosbrother6845]

Love this short story so much. My English teacher had us read this in middle school and a couple parents of kids in the class got mad because it's "anti-christian" LOL

[@duckys54]

Started watching for the Star Wars and Halo, but loving these little SciFi short story topic videos :D

[@LittleMissLeared]

"Can it run Crysis?" - The real last question.

[@waynecampeau4566]

Barely! :)

[@Ranstone]

You win the comment section for today...

[@complex314i]

I just reread this story a few days ago. Perfect timing for you to cover it. It is one of my favorite stories too.