Seldon Plan
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The Seldon Plan is the central theme of Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series of stories and novels. It was to reduce 30,000 years of predicted Galactic barbarism to under 1,000, and establish a Second Galactic Empire.
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[edit] Psychohistory
Hari Seldon devised an analytical technique called psychohistory. This field gave mathematically predictable paths for wider historical developments, but only worked for large numbers of persons, working as a mob, unaware of the workings and predictions of psycohistory. Using this technique, Seldon deduced that it was certain the Galactic Empire was about to collapse, and usher in 30,000 years of barbarism.
[edit] Plan methodology
Seldon obtained permission from the Emperor to start an Encyclopedia project, on a resource-poor planet on the outer edge of the Galaxy. This 'Foundation' was to face a series of crises, that would develop until only one possible (and beneficial) reaction was available. Each time a major crisis happened, a projection of Seldon would appear, and make comments on the situation that had just passed. After the first crisis had passed, Seldon revealed the true purpose of the Foundation was not to write an encyclopedia, but to re-create the Galactic Empire.
[edit] Second Foundation
The Second Foundation, composed of mental rather than physical scientists, revise and add to the mathematical equasions deliniating the plan, as well as manipulate people and situations to better fit the plan. These equasions are stored and projected in the Prime Radiant. The novel Second Foundation describes this work:
| “ | The Seldon plan is neither complete nor correct. Instead, it is merely the best that could be done at the time. Over a dozen generations of men have pored over these equations, worked at them, taken them apart to the last decimal place, and put them together again. | ” |
[edit] Threats to the plan
The plan was based on two known assumptions: that no drastically new technology would be developed, and that people were generally unaware of the workings of psychohistory and its predictions. It also had two unstated assumptions, which only became recognized as funamental after they were revealed.
The first assumption was that, other than through the Second Foundation, people would remain in control of their thoughts and emotions. The Mule could control minds, and therefore came close to destroying the plan. The second assumption was that the equasions only worked for an all-human galaxy. The revelation of the humanoid R. Daneel Olivaw in Foundation and Earth and the turn towards Galaxia as a preparation for contact with non-human aliens marked the second assumption.
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