Exploring Asimov’s ‘The End of Eternity’ in High School Curriculum |A Cross Curricular ELA & High School Statistics Lesson
If you’ve been following my blog, you know that I’ve been writing cross-curricular lesson plans on the theme of Zero and Infinity. One of the things I’ve been looking for to complete the theme is a piece of literature for a high school classroom. So when I saw Isaac Asimov’s The End of Eternity I was intrigued. It turned out to be a fun sci-fi book that also slides into the genre of mystery and thriller.
Audience
High School Junior and Seniors
As a cross-curricular book I recommend Asimov’s book for high school statistics students who are typically juniors and seniors. This book interweaves a lot of statistical and probability concepts with the idea of space-time that could really spark students imagination.
I would recommend a high school math teacher partnering with a high school English teacher to create cross curricular connections. This will allow students can go deeper and gain greater insights from reading. I have created an ELA reading guide that you can give the English teacher in your school to use as a resource. The discussion guide can be found on my ELA Lessons page.
Homeschoolers
Read this book with your child and go through the discussion questions with them found on the ELA Lesson page. Please be advised, I recommend this for high school juniors and seniors due to some mature content not necessarily because of the reading level.
Book Clubs
This would also be a great book for a book club if your group likes to dive into sci-fi topics. My discussion guide found on my ELA Lessons page could be useful as well.
Infinity and Eternity
Eternity and infinity are related, which makes this the perfect high school book for a theme on Zero and Infinity. Asimov dives into the idea that there are an infinite number of realities and an infinite number of subrealities. This is a great way to engage students in an engaging discussion about the concept of infinity.
Creative Writing Connection: You could give a creative writing assignment, where everyone starts with the same short story. The decide on a point in the story that varies from the original, and have students write different conclusions based on the variation.
Summary
A crimes has been committed in Eternity! The protagonist, Andrew Harlan, left the temporal universe to train to become an Eternal. He rose through the ranks to become a Technician, whose role is to make reality changes on the earth. He is required to be analytical, objective, and dispassionate. Harlan is not just any technician, but he is Senior Computer Twissell’s personal technician.
Although living outside of time, his daily life was quite predictable—that is until he met a girl, Noÿs Lambent. She was a Timer from Earth who came from a different time period than his own. In order to create a liaison with the love of his life, he commits heinous crimes against Eternity which may result in the ending of Eternity all together.
Math Connections
Probability & Statistics
The book contains a lot of statistical concepts. Since, I have never formally taught high school statistics, I’m not going to write a formal math lesson plan for this book, but here are topics around Reality Changes that would make for great discussion topics in a high school statistics & probability classroom:
- Minimal Necessary Change
- Fork of Lesser Probability
- Near Certainty
- Maximum Desired Response
- Below Critical Difference
- Maximum Probability
Note: Although, I have not written any formal math lessons for this book, I have written up a discussion guide which can be found on my ELA Lessons page. I would recommend collaborating with your high school English Language Arts teacher to teach this book.
Here are some other probability questions that come up in the book that you can discuss in your statistics and probability classroom. (These are also found in my discussion guide.)
- What did Twissell mean by stating the solution to their dilemma was a “high-probability decision”?
- Asimov views time as moving in the direction of maximum probability. Do you agree or disagree with his view. Justify your thinking.
- Why was Noÿs’s concerned that her century was a low probability century?
Other Math Topics
Besides probability and statistics, the author weaves other mathematical concepts into the book. Here are some areas to spark discussion:
- The book states, “The engineers had focused them already to the exact coordinates in Space and Time and then had left.” Based on your knowledge of math, what do you think the coordinates of Space-Time would look like?
- The book states that observers had to get “Facts accurate enough to be fed into Computing Machines. Facts definitive enough to make the social equations stand up. Facts honest enough to form a basis for Reality Changes.” How are facts and statistics related? How does this compare to our modern day Algorithms in social media, Google searches, etc. Can algorithms be bias?
- What was margin on page 77, and how does it relate to math?
- Describe what was meant by practical limit on page 78?
- How do the degrees of freedom affect the Maximum Desired Change? Why? (page 78)
- How do equations represent reality? How could that connect with AI today?
- Why does making a Reality Change make it harder to find another desirable Reality Change later in time? (page 82)
High Interest Themes to Use for Discussion
This book has so many interesting discussion topics that will really engage students for both public and Christian school students.
Caveat: The book does have a sex scene. It is very short and not very descriptive, but it is obvious they had sex. It’s not written erotically, but more hazily as it’s necessary for the plot. You will need to decide based on your school’s culture whether its inclusion makes this book appropriate or not for high school junior and seniors in your school. It occurs in Chapter 5.
Artificial Intelligence and Algorithms
In our world (more than Asimov could ever have dreamed), we are affected by algorithms. They determine how search engines run, and how traders decide what to trade in Wall Street. Corporations use algorithms to make decisions. Algorithms are everywhere, and they aren’t neutral. There is bias embedded in the creation of algorithms which can be extremely problematic. Additionally, we are on the verge of huge advancements in artificial intelligence which will have its own set of ethical dilemmas.
The End of Eternity deals with some of these issues head on and some indirectly, so the book is a great launching pad for discussing ethics and technology.
Safety and Security vs Freedom
A discussion around safety and security vs freedom would be a good discussion to have before reading the book and then to rehash after reading to see if students change their mind. Ask students if they would rather prioritize safety and security or freedom. Make sure they give reasons for their thinking. You could even do a quick-write. This is especially a great discussion in a post-Covid world, as many families had to balance this topic within their communities and even their own families.
The Value of Human Life and Caste Systems
Eternity was ripe with a caste system. Although Technicians were highly skilled and not necessarily on the bottom of the caste structure (unlike the unspecialized maintenance men), they were definitely the “untouchables.” Students can compare and contrast different caste systems in our world to the caste system in Eternity.
One of the jobs of the Eternals is to make decisions about various Realities that affect human life. Ask the students questions such as the following:
- How do the Eternals value human life? How does Asimov value human life? Use the text to justify your reasoning.
- Can the value of human life be quantified?
- Does your culture value human life? How does someone’s view on human life affect their view on topics such as abortion, eugenics, immigration, etc.?
- According to your religion, what is God’s view of human life?
Christian School Connection: For Christian school teachers this would be a great place to bring in the doctrine of Imago Dei (Image of God). You can discuss examples in history where missionaries fought within cultures to increase the value human life. For example the protestant missionaries in India challenged the caste system; John MacGowan of the London Missionary Society campaigned against foot binding in China; and William Carey fought against widows being forced to die their husbands’ funeral pyre.
Human Suffering
In The End of Eternity, a treatment for cancer has been discovered in future centuries, but yet it can only be given to some people. Why? Do you agree or disagree with the Eternal’s decisions? How does the book attempt to answer the question, “Why do good people suffer?” Do you agree or disagree with the book’s conclusion on the matter?
Christian School Connection: Compare this to the problem of suffering and what you know of God and the problem of sin. Does the book’s view align to what you know about God’s will? Why or why not?
Predestination and Free Will
This is a great book to talk about predestination. Does man have free will or is his fate predetermined? Many religious scholars have argued about this topic. You can use this book to launch into this interesting topic.
Christian School Connection: Since denominations take vastly different views on this topic, I didn’t want write any formal questions on it, but you can use the book to compare Asimov’s view of predestination with what your school’s doctrinal stance on the subject.
Space Travel, Time Travel, Temporal Time, and Eternity
I don’t want to include any spoilers, but this book has a lot to say about space travel, time travel, temporal time and eternity. All of these topics are highly engaging and great for discussion. You could even partner with a Physics teacher to add to the discussion.
Social Studies Connections and Author’s Background
Manifest Destiny
Post reading, have students research Manifest Destiny and discuss how it affected Asimov’s view of the world when writing The End of Eternity. Discuss some of the consequences of Manifest Destiny (both good and bad). Ask students if they agree with Manifest Destiny. Make sure they explain their reasoning.
Christian School Connection: Is Manifest Destiny Biblical? Why or why not? Use the Bible to justify your thinking.
Nuclear War
Read about the invention of the atomic bomb and how it was used in World War II. What is the author’s view of nuclear war? How does his view affect how he wrote the book?
Human Evolution and the Super Man
If you have honors students you can launch into the idea of human evolution and the superman. I would compare it to Nietzsche’s work. Compare Asimov’s view of the superman to Nietzche’s view of the Ubermenchen. Discuss how Nietzsche’s influence affected decisions and government polices in the 19th century. Discuss his impact on Hitler and the ramifications it had in World War 2.
Christian School Connection: You can compare Nietzsche’s view of the Ubermenschen to the Christian worldview and discuss where it fails. You can talk about how Jesus is the true Ubermenschen. This can also lead into a discussion about the popularity of eugenics.
Afterlife
Christian School Connection: Asimov doesn’t really discuss the afterlife, but you can discuss how the Bible’s view of an afterlife would affect the plot of the story.
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Comment
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