To Asimov, this is the cycle of existence, the explosive beginning, and the reflective end. 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. 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. Only this time, it’s not in the way you’d expect. “Let there be light” are words famously found in the Bible. But then again, he could also be arguing that the cycle of existence itself begins and ends with a bang. By this, Asimov could argue that to reach divinity, one has to leave their humanity behind. Then outside the galaxy, then disembodied (minds), and finally, as merging with the AC and becoming the ultimate computer. The entire course of the story, depicted by several stories, are meant to represent one stage closer to divinity for humanity. The idea seems to drown out everything - and I'm satisfied that it should.“THE LAST QUESTION:” SYMBOLISM AND ANALYSIS OF There is plenty of symbolism in this story, perhaps more than just what people automatically assume, judging by the ending: 1. But, of course, they never forget the story itself especially the ending. They seem never to remember the title of the story or (for sure) the author, except for the vague thought it might be me. It is a curious fact that innumerable readers have asked me if I wrote this story. I also undertook another task, but I won't tell you what that was lest l spoil the story for you. After all, I undertook to tell several trillion years of human history in the space of a short story and I leave it to you as to how well I succeeded. This is by far my favorite story of all those I have written. It first appeared in the November 1956 issue of Science Fiction Quarterly The question came about as a result of a five dollar bet over highballs, and it happened this way … 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 sci-fi guru's proposed answer takes in infinity, immortality and creation.
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