I wouldn't consider it a mistake if Asimov predicted that by year 2000 we'd have flying cars or general AI. I don't see any clear argument available in 1950 about why this cannot happen.
However, not imagining that technology could fix mistakes in a document without discarding it, is a major blunder. I think if Asimov understood the world around him well and was good at analyzing how it evolves, he could have avoided it.
Sadly, I've seen many such mistakes in every sci-fi book I read; and given how little I know about the world, I probably see only a fraction of the mistakes that would be obvious to someone else.
Perhaps people who are good at thinking about the future rarely become sci-fi authors. Or perhaps I have been unlucky with my book selection -- if anyone can recommend a sci-fi novel where the world is well thought out, I'd be grateful.
However, not imagining that technology could fix mistakes in a document without discarding it, is a major blunder. I think if Asimov understood the world around him well and was good at analyzing how it evolves, he could have avoided it.
Sadly, I've seen many such mistakes in every sci-fi book I read; and given how little I know about the world, I probably see only a fraction of the mistakes that would be obvious to someone else.
Perhaps people who are good at thinking about the future rarely become sci-fi authors. Or perhaps I have been unlucky with my book selection -- if anyone can recommend a sci-fi novel where the world is well thought out, I'd be grateful.