Profession
Profession by Isaac Asimovby Isaac Asimov
Hacker ApprovedShares rank 29 of 179 science fiction novels by recommenders
Praised for its take on regimented societies, education and knowledge, and Asimov's writing. Critics find its sexism and racism hard to ignore.
Praised for its take on regimented societies, education and knowledge, and Asimov's writing. Critics find its sexism and racism hard to ignore.
19 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 17
- criticize it
- 2
- approval share
- 89%
Recommended in 7 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 17 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 8.5 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 7 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Asimov is a wonderful writer
“Absolutely love that book and have even mentioned it on here before too lol.”
Comment from 22 Dec 2025 in “I'm just having fun” “Brilliant. Asimov was a wonderful writer.”
Comment from 18 Jan 2026 in “Profession by Isaac Asimov” “one of my favorite's of his”
Comment from 13 Feb 2026 in “Carl Sagan's Baloney Detection Kit: Tools for Thinking Critically (2025)” Ideas on education and downloaded knowledge
“Worth reading for the argument about downloaded knowledge being unable to generate new knowledge.”
Comment from 12 Sep 2026 in “Profession – Issac Asimov (1957)” “A very nice story, and an interesting reflection on the education system.”
Comment from 18 Jan 2026 in “Profession by Isaac Asimov” “a metaphor that continues to find relevance in my day to day existence”
Comment from 18 Jan 2026 in “Profession by Isaac Asimov” Regimented societies depend on outsiders
“I really, really love the trope that a regimented society depends on outcasts and outsiders for any sort of innovation”
Comment from 9 Dec 2025 in “Quanta to publish popular math and physics books by Terence Tao and David Tong” “mine too, because one of my favourite sff tropes is that the more you regiment society”
Comment from 18 Jan 2026 in “Profession by Isaac Asimov”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Dated sexism and racism
“The sexism and racism are hard to ignore.”
Comment from 18 Jan 2026 in “Profession by Isaac Asimov” “their social norms are broadly those of 1960s America, conspicuously minus the racism”
Comment from 18 Jan 2026 in “Profession by Isaac Asimov”
Other science fiction novels people recommend
The four most recommended other science fiction novels, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project Hail Maryby Andy Weir | 117 | 24 | 83% | 12 | — | Approved |
| There Is No Antimemetics Divisionby qntm | 98 | 34 | 74% | 9 | 1.5 yrs6 owners | Approved |
| Blindsightby Peter Watts | 96 | 27 | 78% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Duneby Frank Herbert | 82 | 25 | 77% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Professionby Isaac AsimovThis page | 17 | 2 | 89% | 7 | — | Approved |
What people said
15 of the 23 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Worth reading for the argument about downloaded knowledge being unable to generate new knowledge.”
“it's basically confirming their worst fears”
“Both are social dramas about societies that went far down the path of ignorance.”
“one of my favorite's of his”
“Asimov gives the special character serious flaws like jealousy”
“their social norms are broadly those of 1960s America, conspicuously minus the racism”
“A very nice story, and an interesting reflection on the education system.”
“instead of trying to destroy the greatness "created by a white guy" in the past”
“The sexism and racism are hard to ignore.”
“Brilliant. Asimov was a wonderful writer.”
“mine too, because one of my favourite sff tropes is that the more you regiment society”
“It's got a protagonist with compelling motivations, a society that has problems but also convincing reasons why they persist, and a great ending.”
“a metaphor that continues to find relevance in my day to day existence”
“Absolutely love that book and have even mentioned it on here before too lol.”
“I really, really love the trope that a regimented society depends on outcasts and outsiders for any sort of innovation”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.