Bill Moyer's interview of Isaac Asimov: World of Ideas (Questions and Responses)

QUESTION: Summarize Asimov's perspective on learning.

1. Asimov believed as I still do that genuine interest breeds genuine results, learning. If I am excited by , say, my passions in creative writing I will easily adapt and seek such knowledge relevant to my personal interests and passions for the subject(s). On the other hand subjects like that of mathematics bore me to concentrated mental oblivion thus any mathematical knowledge barely pregnates and persists beyond my barriers, self-erected interests. He believes in pursuing creative, personally compelling passions as not just hobbies or means of vocational learning but authentically supports an individual needs to pursue their own interests and not some archaic curriculum thrust by a presiding board for test scores and balanced graphs. He believes a learning revolution can occur and so do I but only thru true dedication to personal interests, passions. If only the board could learn this...

QUESTION: If all future organizations and endeavors begin as visions [i.e. imagined possibilities, a.k.a. the DNA of fiction] how can anyone ever create anything new without indulging science fiction?

2. Genres are a means of oversimplification gross generalizations mainly propped for marketing jingoism in all forms, mediums not exclusive to say literature or films but so to encompass ideas. Why can't dreams and visions for our future flirt with the classification of science fiction, fantasy or any other mode of fiction? Is it because society deems dreams and impassioned pursuits as childish just like learning as Asimov expands? I believe so. I believe that it is impossible to separate dreams from science fiction, fiction in general not because our dreams are implausible fanciful products of romanticism, no on the contrary all things once began as an idea, a vision, all endeavors that have existed and ever will began as an intangible "thing" all they needed was a inception point. All things beginning born as a dream. It is up to us act upon them.

  QUESTION: How do you explain the process that leads to this?

3. Not necessarily sure how to explain the exact scientific process but I can surmise the experiments significance/ relevancy to this subject in particular. Imagine a world wherein the computational power of an entire classroom, brains wired and interconnected to transfer knowledge ? Imagine a neural network with the power of an entire school, block, town, city, why stop there?! The brain wiring technique exhibited in the mice of the article seems straight of scifi but exists, functioning in reality. The natural compatibility and connectivity, inherent cooperation between the individual mice brains is exemplary to the innate desire for cooperation in living things, not some Darwinian contest. Indeed imagine a world globally connected exchanging thoughts, deliberating ideas, solving global dilemmas, connected, united as one from many. Funny thing is we don't need direct brain wiring or techno jumbo to accomplish this, with the tools right on your desktop, computer room well... We are just one vision away. It doesn't take the mind of Asimov to think of that.