Talk:The Last Question

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The ending is usually interpreted as the AC rebooting the universe, but i prefer the idea that it created a simulation within itself of the universe, a nested virtual reality for life to replay itself in. Mike Schiraldi 06:49, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

That is my interpretation too. In the story the Cosmic AC prepares a "program" with all the data it gathered. To me, this is an Universe Simulation, and the AC then becomes God by running this program. Stanislaw Lem also wrote a story that explicitly involved an "Universe Simulation", in this case by a mad computer that thought it was God (unfortunately I don't remember the title). In more recent works, this "Godlike Computer" and "Universe Simulation" themes have appeared for example in the "Matrix" trilogy and in the Manga/Anime "Ah! My Goddess". The Synthetic God seems to be a product of this technological age...


I gotta say this is a very fine story and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Any reccommendations should be posted on my talk page. --TIB 04:40, Aug 5, 2004 (UTC)

Contents

[edit] Spoiler Warning

I'm placing a spoiler warning on this article as the Synopsis section gives away too much of the plot. Counterfriction 07:04, 27 May 2007 (UTC)


[edit] Copyright violation? (Linking to online mirrors)

I'm pretty sure that the text mirrors to which this article links are copyright violations, and the second one is broken anyway. Consequently, I'm moving the text here until someone convinces me otherwise.

Well that depends, how long does copyright last for where you are? Longer than 50 years? Sri Theo 22:17, 25 February 2006 (UTC)

  • Usually copyright is life plus 70 years. Asimov died in 1992, so I think it's safe to say that the story will remain protected for a while yet. --Bonalaw 12:21, 26 February 2006 (UTC)
In 1956, when the story was published, works were under copyright for 28 years with an optional renewal for a period of another 28 years. In 1978, the renewal period was extended to 47 years. The story in question would have come up for renewal in 1984, and was apparently renewed on January 5, 1984. In 1998, copyrights were extended another 20 years, which would put it under copyright until 2051. Gnosticdogma 19:53, 30 November 2006 (UTC)
  • I would suggest that it would be wise not to link to any online versions of The Last Question until the copyright expires, so if anyone does ill delete it and place the link here -- KaiAdin 01:48, 13 May 2006 (UTC)

I think that copyright law should allow you to link to any content. Referring to a work that violates copyright should not be illegal. A link is just a pointer. Copyright should also allow ALL works to be hosted for non-profit academic work like an encyclopedia. Not only do I think linking the story is OK, I think mirroring it would be perfectly ethical. Moreover, the author of this story is long dead. Copyright should not continue to "protect" a work when the person it is supposedly "protecting" the work for no longer exists! If the law says otherwise, than the law opposes free speech. Delirium of disorder 05:41, 3 June 2007 (UTC)

Honestly.... who gives a shit.

We wouldn't want a lawsuit filed against Wikipedia, now, would we?
If wikipedia were sued for something like this, it would be trivial to take down. In fact whoever is threatening the suit could take remove the link themselves rather than paying some lawyer big bucks to threaten us! The content should at the very least remain until an actual suit is filed or the copyright holder makes their wishes known in some more amicable manner. If wikipedia is really getting threatened for LINKING to copyrighted content without permission, and judges are taking these threats seriously, then I recommend that wikipedia quit the non-profit incorporated in the USA and move the servers and staff to some other nation, one that has a basic level of respect for free speech. Delirium of disorder 21:50, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Mirrors

Here are some more: Google

And in Spanish: http://webs.ono.com/luciana/docs/ebooks/ultima.txt --83.35.196.3 (talk) 19:27, 9 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Possible plot flaw?

Kinda funny... I haven't read the story, although i do love Asimov, but if the Cosmic AC exists in hyperspace, then how can there be "nobody to report it to?" -- postglock 16:26, 24 October 2005 (UTC)

how? everyone in the universe would have been killed by heat deathJoeyjojo 00:51, 6 March 2006 (UTC)

Huh? I just meant that if the Cosmic AC exists in hyperspace, out of time, then the concept of there being "nobody to report it to" becomes obsolete. He could simply report the answer back to us (or our descendants) at a point in time when we existed. -postglock 06:10, 6 March 2006 (UTC)

well maybe the comic AC was not out side of some sort of "hyperspace time" or didn't want to (or chouldn't) upset causality? but i don't know, like you i haven't read it.

Yeah, I suppose there could be implied or explicit laws to do with existing in hyperspace as far as this story is concerned. I suppose I just assumed that existing out of normal time suggests not being bound by the linear flow of it, but (as suggested) perhaps he is merely tied to some sort of meta-time from which he cannot escape... Hmmm... -postglock 05:36, 7 March 2006 (UTC)

could be, it make you think but.. i'll see it i can find a copy -Joeyjojo 04:06, 8 March 2006 (UTC)

Well, if the Cosmic AC can't do that, then he isn't really much of a god, is he? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.51.244.148 (talk • contribs)

True... but then this is opening up a whole other kettle of fish... :-) -postglock 08:27, 4 September 2006 (UTC)

I'm surprised to see that this short asimov story is known on the Web, although it's my favourite asimov's writing. But there's a huge problem in his story, that breaked my heart when i discovered it '-_- . Why don't WE know how to reverse entropy, multivac should've told us.

Humanity "dies" when the last person fuses with the cosmic ac when there is only the single star left. All the bodies are dead, all the minds have fused with cosmic ac. Some time after that, the Cosmic AC figures out the answer, and performs it. Macktheknifeau 23:26, 11 November 2006 (UTC)

Well, I finally got around to reading the story, and I think the spoilers confused me. While computing the answer, the Cosmic AC is not exactly in "hyperspace," as this implies a "normal" space and time, to which it is outside ("hyper"). I've rewritten sections of the spoiler now... -postglock 04:21, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Heat death vs. Cold death?

In the story, the last consciousness of Man fuses with the AC when the last star dies, ten trillion years from the beginning. Toward the end of the story, reference is made to most stars being fading white dwarfs, and that all the stars and galaxies 'snuffed out.' This sounds more to me like a cold death--a scenario where all the stars have turned into black dwarfs, the Universe has expanded so far that any free energy is dissipated, and there is no longer any hydrogen available to create new stars. The heat death scenario in any case would take far longer than 10 trillion years. Jsc1973 14:55, 18 December 2006 (UTC)

Heat is a measurement of the transfer of energy. Cold is an adjective describing relative temperature. Heat death is used because when the temperature of the universe is completely homogenized, there will be no temperature differences to motivate the exchange of energy, and thus the "heat" of the universe (or any subsystem therein) is zero. This lack of energy in transit would be strictly prohibitive of life as we know it. Counterfriction 07:00, 27 May 2007 (UTC)

Agreeing with Counterfriction, heat death is a term for the eventually balance of heat throughout the universe, and so it is not meant as death by heat but as death of heat. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.71.82.82 (talk) 01:45, 21 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] The Cosmic AC merged with Man

I added this bit in, as it is very important to the story IMO. Cheezmeister 03:24, 21 January 2007 (UTC)

It should be switched around; Man merged with the Cosmic AC The ConundrumerTC 05:17, 7 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] (spoiler removed)

Ok, revealing the final in the plot summary is just wrong. I first read about this short story right here in Wikipedia, and read it using the link in this page. If had read the (spoiler removed) bit it will have spoiled the story. I don't know too much about wikipedia standars in plot summary (I'm just an avid reader of wikipedia, just editing some mistyping and vandalism) but the final twist shouln't be there, so I edited back that bit to the way I read it some time ago. If there's some kind of police about this, change it back, but please, try not to spoil this great short story. Kind Regards. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 201.209.128.161 (talk) 06:52, 30 December 2007 (UTC)

I agree, so I've removed the major spoiler from your comment. Have a nice day. :-D - Denimadept (talk) 20:16, 14 February 2008 (UTC)

Wikipedia does have some guidelines on this, at WP: Spoiler. I tend to agree with the reasoning presented. I'm sorry anyone feels the presence of a spoiler was "just wrong", but the purpose of Wikipedia is to inform, and spoilers are specifically noted in WP:Content_disclaimer. I'm placing the final paragraph back in.128.113.145.163 (talk) 14:38, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] US Centric

Um no offense but "Overall, it is considered to be one of the greatest science fiction short stories ever written." This is a US centric viewpoint. It might be nice to find out what the rest of the world thinks, but I don't think we would agree (I'm British, I live in Asia). Azimov writes with a very 50s era American optimism, and it gets old very quick. Compare Azimov to Philip K Dick, and you'll see that Azimov's optimism seems so very old fashioned whereas Dick's Pessimism is right on the money, and at least his work reads as fresh today as it was then. Dick, Clarke, Silverberg are more representative of the rest of the world's view of good sci-fi. I'm sure if you bothered to check outside the US you would be surprised to get a different answer for the best short story ever written. I think more research is in order.