The buzz now became a dull roar. The Advocate, unheeded, was yelling, "You are openly
declaring that–" and stopped because the cries of "Treason" from the audience showed that the
point had been made without any hammering.
Slowly, the Chief Commissioner raised his gavel once and let it drop. The sound was that of a mellow gong. When the reverberations ceased, the gabble of the audience also did. The Advocate took a deep breath.
Slowly, the Chief Commissioner raised his gavel once and let it drop. The sound was that of a mellow gong. When the reverberations ceased, the gabble of the audience also did. The Advocate took a deep breath.
Q. (theatrically) Do you realize, Dr. Seldon, that you are speaking of an Empire that has stood
for twelve thousand years, through all the vicissitudes of the generations, and which has behind
it the good wishes and love of a quadrillion human beings?
A. I am aware both of the present status and the past history of the Empire. Without disrespect, I must claim a far better knowledge of it than any in this room.
Q. And you predict its ruin?
A. It is a prediction which is made by mathematics. I pass no moral judgements. Personally, I regret the prospect. Even if the Empire were admitted to be a bad thing (an admission I do not make), the state of anarchy which would follow its fall would be worse. It is that state of anarchy which my project is pledged to fight. The fall of Empire, gentlemen, is a massive thing, however, and not easily fought. It is dictated by a rising bureaucracy, a receding initiative, a freezing of caste, a damming of curiosity – a hundred other factors. It has been going on, as I have said, for centuries, and it is too majestic and massive a movement to stop.
Q. Is it not obvious to anyone that the Empire is as strong as it ever was?
A. The appearance of strength is all about you. It would seem to last forever. However, Mr. Advocate, the rotten tree-trunk, until the very moment when the storm-blast breaks it in two, has all the appearance of might it ever had. The storm-blast whistles through the branches of the Empire even now. Listen with the ears of psychohistory, and you will hear the creaking.
Q. (uncertainly) We are not here, Dr. Seldon, to lis–
A. (firmly) The Empire will vanish and all its good with it. Its accumulated knowledge will decay and the order it has imposed will vanish. Interstellar wars will be endless; interstellar trade will decay; population will decline; worlds will lose touch with the main body of the Galaxy. –And so matters will remain.
Q. (a small voice in the middle of a vast silence) Forever?
A. Psychohistory, which can predict the fall, can make statements concerning the succeeding dark ages. The Empire, gentlemen, as has just been said, has stood twelve thousand years. The dark ages to come will endure not twelve, but thirty thousand years. A Second Empire will rise, but between it and our civilization will be one thousand generations of suffering humanity. We must fight that.
-Foundation, By Isaac Asimov
The Foundation Series won the Hugo Award for best all-time science fiction series, as it damn well should have. Isaac Asimov is an author with little to no delusions as to his writing ability. His novels and short stories read like the classic paperback sci-fi adventures that they certainly are, but what makes them great are the concepts behind them. This man was primarily a scientist who also happened write. The Foundation series is filled with hardcore scientific, historical, religious, and psychological theory that, like all great science fiction, reaches far into the future and has turned out to be not very far off the mark. It's incredible how up to date his core ideas remain over fifty years later. His prose, to me, seems entirely aimed at fun and entertainment, but at the same time his stories satisfy some of my deepest intellectual hungers. What more could you ask for in a book? For sci-fi "nerds" and intellectual snobs alike; read these books.
p.s. If you're not yet sure about committing to a three novel series (or five, including another two Asimov wrote a decade or two later because of popular demand; or seven, if you include the two prequels he wrote after those; or ten, taking into account the three Galactic Empire novels that flesh out some pertinent back story), read his short story Nightfall and you'll probably be convinced.
A. I am aware both of the present status and the past history of the Empire. Without disrespect, I must claim a far better knowledge of it than any in this room.
Q. And you predict its ruin?
A. It is a prediction which is made by mathematics. I pass no moral judgements. Personally, I regret the prospect. Even if the Empire were admitted to be a bad thing (an admission I do not make), the state of anarchy which would follow its fall would be worse. It is that state of anarchy which my project is pledged to fight. The fall of Empire, gentlemen, is a massive thing, however, and not easily fought. It is dictated by a rising bureaucracy, a receding initiative, a freezing of caste, a damming of curiosity – a hundred other factors. It has been going on, as I have said, for centuries, and it is too majestic and massive a movement to stop.
Q. Is it not obvious to anyone that the Empire is as strong as it ever was?
A. The appearance of strength is all about you. It would seem to last forever. However, Mr. Advocate, the rotten tree-trunk, until the very moment when the storm-blast breaks it in two, has all the appearance of might it ever had. The storm-blast whistles through the branches of the Empire even now. Listen with the ears of psychohistory, and you will hear the creaking.
Q. (uncertainly) We are not here, Dr. Seldon, to lis–
A. (firmly) The Empire will vanish and all its good with it. Its accumulated knowledge will decay and the order it has imposed will vanish. Interstellar wars will be endless; interstellar trade will decay; population will decline; worlds will lose touch with the main body of the Galaxy. –And so matters will remain.
Q. (a small voice in the middle of a vast silence) Forever?
A. Psychohistory, which can predict the fall, can make statements concerning the succeeding dark ages. The Empire, gentlemen, as has just been said, has stood twelve thousand years. The dark ages to come will endure not twelve, but thirty thousand years. A Second Empire will rise, but between it and our civilization will be one thousand generations of suffering humanity. We must fight that.
-Foundation, By Isaac Asimov
The Foundation Series won the Hugo Award for best all-time science fiction series, as it damn well should have. Isaac Asimov is an author with little to no delusions as to his writing ability. His novels and short stories read like the classic paperback sci-fi adventures that they certainly are, but what makes them great are the concepts behind them. This man was primarily a scientist who also happened write. The Foundation series is filled with hardcore scientific, historical, religious, and psychological theory that, like all great science fiction, reaches far into the future and has turned out to be not very far off the mark. It's incredible how up to date his core ideas remain over fifty years later. His prose, to me, seems entirely aimed at fun and entertainment, but at the same time his stories satisfy some of my deepest intellectual hungers. What more could you ask for in a book? For sci-fi "nerds" and intellectual snobs alike; read these books.
p.s. If you're not yet sure about committing to a three novel series (or five, including another two Asimov wrote a decade or two later because of popular demand; or seven, if you include the two prequels he wrote after those; or ten, taking into account the three Galactic Empire novels that flesh out some pertinent back story), read his short story Nightfall and you'll probably be convinced.
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