In I, Robot, for example, he has a very epistemologically savvy robot play the role of extreme skeptic. And he has his own philosophical position on religion, mentioning Bertrand Russell in that regard. Does he reference other philosophers?
Karl, its a long long time since I read Asimov so I think I will just watch and see for the moment and maybe a comment will jog my memory-I remember how generally savvy the SF writers were at that time-a few British ones but mainly American-who fed not just my need for entertainment but also for knowledge of science and ideas per se. I guess their model was H.G. Wells. The last SF writer I've read from this time or a little later is J. G. Ballard-who crossed the invisible line into literature. I've just finished his disaster novel on rain ceasing and the usual debacle of appalling human behaviour and indifferent heroes. Lovely writing at times but thin plot and characters.
Asimov was a teacher and published in many fields, including works to popularize science. It is not surprising that he was well-versed in a wide range of science and philosophy, and also knew how to research a particular scientific question when needed for a particular writing endeavor.
He was I know a science professor, unusual for an SF writer of his period. H. G. Wells had the equivalent of a Ist Degree, if I remember correctly, in science but no more.
Since posting my question I have learned that Asimov was involved with an SF group in the 1930s and 1940s called the Futurians, which included Communists, Trotskyites, Spenglerites, Technocrats, etc. -- so presumably he would've been quite familiar with certain areas of post-Hegelian political philosophy.
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