The Greatest Asset
Encyclopedia
The Greatest Asset is a science fiction
short story
by Isaac Asimov
. It was written as a counterpoint to his story 2430 A.D.
with the intention of refuting, rather than illustrating, the same quotation by writer and social commentator J. B. Priestley
. It was published in the January 1972 issue of Analog
and reprinted in the 1975 collection Buy Jupiter and Other Stories
.
The quotation by Priestley runs:
2430 A.D. had been commissioned by Think, the house magazine of IBM
, but was rejected because it confirmed Priestley's quote. Think requested another story refuting the quote. The rejection of 2430 A.D. came when Asimov's marriage to his first wife was coming to an end. On July 3, 1970, he moved out of his house in West Newton, Massachusetts
and took up residence in the Cromwell Hotel in New York City
. After settling in, Asimov felt the need to write something, to prove to himself that the disruption of his life had not impaired his writing ability. Thus, on July 8, he wrote The Greatest Asset, mailing it to Think the following day. On July 22 Asimov received word that Think had rejected The Greatest Asset and would, instead, be running 2430 A.D.. Having the first piece of writing he produced after moving to New York rejected came as a blow to Asimov. On July 27 he visited John W. Campbell
, editor of Analog magazine, and told him of Think's rejection of "The Greatest Asset". Campbell told him that his own needs and judgment were different from Think's and asked to see the story. Within a week Campbell accepted it, and The Greatest Asset appeared in the January 1972 issue of Analog.
. The Secretary-General of Ecology, Ino Adrastus, controls all the ecology with the aid of massive computers. He is visited by Jan Marley, a science writer, to whom Adrastus claims to be no more than a clerk whose sole task is to sign the directives produced by the computers.
Marley is invited to witness a meeting between Adrastus and Lou Tansonia, a medical researcher from the moon colony, whose proposal involving setting up experimental ecologies has been rejected by the computers.
After Tansonia explains his proposal, Adrastus approves it against the recommendation of the computers. This leads Marley to think that he was there specifically to witness this act. After Tansonia leaves, Adrastus explains to Marley that a common saying attributed to the former is slightly misquoted as being, "Man's Greatest Asset is a balanced ecology." Whereas it should say that "Man's greatest *need* is a balanced ecology. Man's greatest *asset* is the unsettled mind." This is because unsettled minds are a necessary prerequisite for "man to be man - which is more important than merely to live." Adrastus is then revealed to have almost certainly engineered this encounter to correct this misattribution.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
by Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
. It was written as a counterpoint to his story 2430 A.D.
2430 A.D.
2430 A.D. is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. It first appeared in the October 1970 issue of Think, the IBM house magazine, and was reprinted in Asimov's 1975 collection Buy Jupiter and Other Stories....
with the intention of refuting, rather than illustrating, the same quotation by writer and social commentator J. B. Priestley
J. B. Priestley
John Boynton Priestley, OM , known as J. B. Priestley, was an English novelist, playwright and broadcaster. He published 26 novels, notably The Good Companions , as well as numerous dramas such as An Inspector Calls...
. It was published in the January 1972 issue of Analog
Analog Science Fiction and Fact
Analog Science Fiction and Fact is an American science fiction magazine. As of 2011, it is the longest running continuously published magazine of that genre...
and reprinted in the 1975 collection Buy Jupiter and Other Stories
Buy Jupiter and Other Stories
Buy Jupiter and Other Stories is a 1975 collection of short stories by American writer Isaac Asimov.It includes the following stories:*"Darwinian Pool Room"* "Day of the Hunters" * "Shah Guido G." * "Button, Button"...
.
The quotation by Priestley runs:
- Between midnight and dawn, when sleep will not come and all the old wounds begin to ache, I often have a nightmare vision of a future world in which there are billions of people, all numbered and registered, with not a gleam of genius anywhere, not an original mind, a rich personality, on the whole packed globe.
2430 A.D. had been commissioned by Think, the house magazine of IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
, but was rejected because it confirmed Priestley's quote. Think requested another story refuting the quote. The rejection of 2430 A.D. came when Asimov's marriage to his first wife was coming to an end. On July 3, 1970, he moved out of his house in West Newton, Massachusetts
West Newton, Massachusetts
West Newton is a village of the City of Newton, Massachusetts and is one of the oldest of the thirteen Newton villages. The postal code 02465 roughly matches the village limits.-Location:...
and took up residence in the Cromwell Hotel in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. After settling in, Asimov felt the need to write something, to prove to himself that the disruption of his life had not impaired his writing ability. Thus, on July 8, he wrote The Greatest Asset, mailing it to Think the following day. On July 22 Asimov received word that Think had rejected The Greatest Asset and would, instead, be running 2430 A.D.. Having the first piece of writing he produced after moving to New York rejected came as a blow to Asimov. On July 27 he visited John W. Campbell
John W. Campbell
John Wood Campbell, Jr. was an influential figure in American science fiction. As editor of Astounding Science Fiction , from late 1937 until his death, he is generally credited with shaping the so-called Golden Age of Science Fiction.Isaac Asimov called Campbell "the most powerful force in...
, editor of Analog magazine, and told him of Think's rejection of "The Greatest Asset". Campbell told him that his own needs and judgment were different from Think's and asked to see the story. Within a week Campbell accepted it, and The Greatest Asset appeared in the January 1972 issue of Analog.
Plot summary
The action takes place on a future Earth that has established a totally controlled and balanced ecologyEcology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
. The Secretary-General of Ecology, Ino Adrastus, controls all the ecology with the aid of massive computers. He is visited by Jan Marley, a science writer, to whom Adrastus claims to be no more than a clerk whose sole task is to sign the directives produced by the computers.
Marley is invited to witness a meeting between Adrastus and Lou Tansonia, a medical researcher from the moon colony, whose proposal involving setting up experimental ecologies has been rejected by the computers.
After Tansonia explains his proposal, Adrastus approves it against the recommendation of the computers. This leads Marley to think that he was there specifically to witness this act. After Tansonia leaves, Adrastus explains to Marley that a common saying attributed to the former is slightly misquoted as being, "Man's Greatest Asset is a balanced ecology." Whereas it should say that "Man's greatest *need* is a balanced ecology. Man's greatest *asset* is the unsettled mind." This is because unsettled minds are a necessary prerequisite for "man to be man - which is more important than merely to live." Adrastus is then revealed to have almost certainly engineered this encounter to correct this misattribution.