“The Last Question,” by Isaac Asimov
Asimov believed “The Last Question” to be the best short story he ever wrote. Now you can read it online, without even having to make a trip to the library.
The last question was asked for the first time, half in jest, on May 21, 2061, at a time when humanity first stepped into the light. The question came about as a result of a five-dollar bet over highballs, and it happened this way…
This story is the epitome of high-concept “hard” science fiction. The narrative spans a few trillion years of human history in about 4,500 words and pursues big answers to the big questions. That it can do this without alienating or boring less scientifically-minded readers is a testament to Asimov’s skill. Along the way it touches on the concepts of transhumanism and posthumanism, but its ultimate target is much larger and more impressive.
The central premise of the story — humanity invents an artificially intelligent machine capable of solving its thorniest problems, but the biggest problem of all proves insoluble time and again — is a set up for an ending with more punch than almost anything else in the genre.
“Ask Multivac.”
“You ask Multivac. I dare you. Five dollars says it can’t be done.”
Adell was just drunk enough to try…
You owe it to yourself to read this story.
(Props: Backwards City)
Updates
- 2/9/2006 @ 6:00 AM — If the link to the story isn’t working for you, try this copy from Google’s cache.
