The Last Question (or Final Question) nearly defines a new genre of sci-fi
“The Last Question” Written By Author Issac Asimov in 1956
Born Isaak Yudovich Ozimov in 1920 Russia, and perhaps best known for his works in science fiction— despite being a professor of biochemistry—Isaac Asimov is regarded as one of the greatest authors of the 20th century. It’s no surprise that when I first read his work, more specifically his short story titled “The Last Question,” I laughed, I cried, and I questioned everything I was doing as a writer. I even wondered if Ozimov ever used writing prompts to keep his imagination flowing. That’s why I decided to do a Last Question analysis.
To this day, it is perhaps one of the few stories that has gripped me, changed my direction, and forced me to improve upon literally everything. I came to realize that Nothing is in stasis!
Summary of “The Last Question” (aka The Final Question)
As Asimov’s story begins, it unfolds as a series of stories. Universe-scale computers called Multivacs have emerged. Characters ask the same question over long stretches of time: how dying from heat can be stopped, or averted (Read more about how to direct characters within your stories). More specifically, “how can the net amount of entropy of the universe be massively decreased?”
The answer is always the same: “INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR MEANINGFUL ANSWER.”
Time flies by and someone else decides to ask the ultimate last question. By this point, Multivac’s descendants have all failed to answer.
Finally, the god-like descendant of humanity watches as the stars fade out in space. Matter is ending, and with it, time and space as it’s been known all along. Humanity asks AC, Multivac’s descendant, the same question before it merges with the AC and disappearing. AC still doesn’t know the answer, but this time, it ponders it even after everything ends.
It reaches a conclusion, finds an answer, but everything is dead. Hence, AC declares:
Listen To “The Last Question”
“Let There Be Light!” Thank you Arpit Sachdev for creating this great video!
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“The Last Question:” Symbolism and Analysis of Asimov’s “The Last Question”
There is plenty of symbolism in this story, perhaps more than just what people automatically assume, judging by the ending:
- The entire course of the story, depicted by several stories, are meant to represent one stage closer to divinity for humanity. In the first story, humans are on Earth. In the next, they’re in space. Then outside the galaxy, then disembodied (minds), and finally, as merging with the AC and becoming the ultimate computer. By this, Asimov could argue that to reach divinity, one has to leave their humanity behind. But then again, he could also be arguing that the cycle of existence itself begins and ends with a bang. We’ll touch more on this next.
- “Let there be light” are words famously found in the Bible. Only this time, it’s not in the way you’d expect. In the story, God is really a mixture of humanity, and the technology it created, meshed together as one, after years and years of evolution. Upon finding an answer, AC begins the universe once again, with the Big Bang, knowing well that everything will end once again, in some distant future, and then repeat the cycle. To Asimov, this is the cycle of existence, the explosive beginning, and the reflective end.
- Judging by the fact that Humanity merged with AC, who then made the Big Bang, we’re both the creator, and the created.
- This is a prime example of the saying “the end is only the beginning.” To Asimov, the ending of something was always the beginning of something else. It can also be taken as we must all try and fail, succeed only to lose it all in the end, then do it again, as we are destined.
- We are all one and the same – Humanity – and as one collective being, we are in everything we’ve created, asked, answered, and been.
Whatever your background, or beliefs, I think most would agree that “The Last Question,” definitely does make you think about existence as a whole, and your small presence in the vastness of the universe. From a writer’s perspective, it teaches that a story is nothing but one point in a long spectrum and that in order to achieve greatness, one must never become used to one thing. Nothing is in stasis.
How “The Last Question” Helped me be a better writer
Ironically enough, roughly a year ago, when I began working on my very first video game, this was the story my director picked out and offered as inspiration. Stunned, I read it over again in wonder, and awe, and remembered the pressure I’d set on my own shoulders. There are so many directions a story can go. Just like The Last Question’s twisting plot, your writing contest entry can take you to unexpected places.
The Last Question’s symbolism would come in handy. It has for over a year in my career now.
Because this site has made me reflect on my own endeavors, while helping others, I decided to share this story with you all in the hopes of maybe changing someone else’s course. The profound insights from Asimov’s “The Last Question” have guided my problem-solving approach, illuminating new perspectives on enduring challenges.
