Sci-Fi master Arthur C. Clarke dead at 90
Arthur C. Clarke, author of 100 books including the novel 2001: A Space Odyssey, died in Sri Lanka yesterday at age 90.
Some good obits out there -- though the NYT headline looks as though it was written by Yoda.
This one highlights Clarke's qualified skepticism and deeply held atheism. From the piece:
Clarke certainly believed in extraterrestrial, intelligent life. "They might land tomorrow on the White House lawn," he told McAleer. But he did not believe in UFOs, which he said could be reasonably explained.
Nor did he believe in God. He was an unapologetic atheist with no patience for organized religion, which he blamed for many of society's ills. "The greatest tragedy in mankind's entire history may be the hijacking of morality by religion," he wrote in a 1999 essay.
Wired magazine writes that Clarke told them what he wanted as his epitaph in a 1993 interview:
"I've often quoted it," he said."'He never grew up; but he never stopped growing.'"