He always pictured himself a libertarian, which to my way of thinking means "I want the liberty to grow rich and you can have the liberty to starve". It's easy to believe that no one should depend on society for help when you yourself happen not to need such help.
Interpretation
The quote critiques the selfish interpretation of libertarianism, highlighting the disconnect between those who succeed independently and those in need.
Isaac Asimov's quote reflects on the philosophy of libertarianism, emphasizing that the desire for personal freedom can lead to a lack of empathy for those less fortunate. He points out the hypocrisy in thinking one can thrive solely on self-reliance while disregarding the societal support that others may urgently require, suggesting that a singular focus on individual liberty can ignore the broader social responsibility we have towards each other.
In practice
In a discussion about socio-economic responsibilities during a debate on political ideologies.
Democracy cannot survive overpopulation. Human dignity cannot survive it. Convenience and decency cannot survive it. As you put more and more people into the world, the value of life not only declines, but it disappears. It doesn't matter if someone dies.
Science does not promise absolute truth, nor does it consider that such a thing necessarily exists. Science does not even promise that everything in the Universe is amenable to the scientific process.
Democracy cannot survive overpopulation.
Although the time of death is approaching me, I am not afraid of dying and going to Hell or (what would be considerably worse) going to the popularized version of Heaven. I expect death to be nothingness and, for removing me from all possible fears of death, I am thankful to atheism.
A subtle thought that is in error may yet give rise to fruitful inquiry that can establish truths of great value.
During the century after Newton, it was still possible for a man of unusual attainments to master all fields of scientific knowledge. But by 1800, this had become entirely impracticable.
Repentance is simply giving up to stop fighting against God and to stop attempting to gain your own salvation through your own works; to literally give up and fall upon Christ. That is salvation.
Anything that we scientists can do to weaken the hold of religion, should be done and may, in fact, in the end, be our greatest contribution to civilization.
Do not neglect this body. This is the house of God; take care of it, only in this body can God be realized.
Ring out the false, ring in the true.
Christian creeds and doctrines, the clergy's own fatal inventions, through all the ages has made of Christendom a slaughterhouse, and divided it into sects of inextinguishable hatred for one another.
Am I motivated by what I really want out of life - or am I mass-motivated?
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