Isaac Asimov? Michio Kaku? Apocryphal?
Dear Quote Investigator: Science has been extraordinarily successful in making impressive discoveries. Yet, humankind’s thoughtfulness and judgement have been severely tested by the new insights and capabilities that have emerged. A prominent science fiction author said:
Science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.
Would you please help me to identify the author of this statement together with a citation?
Quote Investigator: In 1988 Isaac Asimov and Jason A. Shulman published “Isaac Asimov’s Book of Science and Nature Quotations”. The work contained 86 sections, and each began with a quotation from Asimov. The epigraph for the “Science and Society” section was the following. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:[ref] 1988, Isaac Asimov’s Book of Science and Nature Quotations, Edited by Isaac Asimov and Jason A. Shulman, Chapter 72: Science and Society, (Quotation appears as chapter epigraph), Quote Page 281, A Blue Cliff Editions Book: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, New York. (Verified with scans; Internet Archive) [/ref]
The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.
ISAAC ASIMOV
Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.
In 2006 “The Mammoth Book of Zingers, Quips and One-Liners” included the topic “Wisdom” which included an entry for the quotation with credit to Asimov.[ref] 2006 (Compiled 2004), The Mammoth Book of Zingers, Quips and One-Liners: Over 8,000 Gems of Wit and Wisdom, One-Liners and Wisecracks, Compiled by Geoff Tibballs, Topic: Wisdom, Quote Page 562, Carroll & Graf Publishers, New York. (Verified with scans) [/ref]
Also, in 2006 the remark appeared in “Treasury of Wit & Wisdom” from Reader’s Digest Association with an ascription to Asimov.[ref] 2006, Treasury of Wit & Wisdom: 4,000 of the Funniest, Cleverest, Most Insightful Things Ever Said, Compiled by Jeff Bredenberg, Topic: Scientific Endeavor, Quote Page 146, The Reader’s Digest Association, Pleasantville, New York. (Verified with scans) [/ref]
In 2011 “Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100” by Michio Kaku printed a slightly altered version of the statement which substituted “society” for “life”:[ref] 2011, Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100 by Michio Kaku (Professor of Theoretical Physics, City University of New York), Chapter 8: Future of Humanity: Planetary Civilization, Quote Page 350, Doubleday, New York. (Verified with scans) [/ref]
In our society, wisdom is hard to come by. As Isaac Asimov once said, “The saddest aspect of society right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.” Unlike information, it cannot be dispensed via blogs and Internet chatter. Since we are drowning in an ocean of information, the most precious commodity in modern society is wisdom.
In conclusion, Isaac Asimov deserves credit for the remark he published in 1988. Variant statements have also entered circulation.
(Great thanks to the twitter user who included this remark in their profile. This inspired QI to formulate this question and perform this exploration.)