With tributes by Arthur C. Clarke, L. Sprague de Camp, Harlan Ellison, Kendrick Frazier, Martin Gardner, Donald Goldsmith Stephen Jay Gould, E. C. Krupp. Frederik Pohl, and Carl Sagan.
Isaac Asimov's death on April 6, 1992, was a great loss to the world of literary science and freethought. The prolific author's vision is unmatched today, and his pointed honesty shines through in The Roving Mind, now reissued in this special tribute edition.
This collection of essays is wide-ranging, reflecting Asimov's extraordinary skill in disseminating knowledge from across the spectrum of human thought. Some of the areas explored in this volume of 62 essays include creationism, pseudoscience, censorship, population, philosophy of science, transportation, computers and corporations of the future, and astronomy. His predictions about cloning which has only recently become the topic of public debate the theory of "technophobia," and other scientific developments are astounding. In a lighter tone, Asimov includes several personal stories from his life including thoughts on his style of writing and memories of family in younger days.
How can our society differentiate between real science and pseudoscience? What technological wonders lie before us in the next few decades? Is the theory of space migration a wild fantasy or a workable blueprint for moving into the "final frontier"? Is it wise for us to try to contact advanced civilizations? What is the rationale for investing so much time, energy, and money in the space program? These are just a few of the questions Asimov ponders in this delightful book.
Included are thoughtful and touching tributes from colleagues and friends who discuss Asimov's science fiction, the inspiration he gave to other writers, the times they shared together, as well as Asimov's lasting impact on the science community and the world.
The late ISAAC ASIMOV authored more than 250 books in virtually every field of knowledge, with more than 120 on the sciences. For Prometheus, he authored The Tyrannosaurus Prescription; Past, Present and Future; and co-edited Tales of the Occult.
395 pp ISBN 1-57392-181-5 Paper