Take a photo of a barcode or cover
wwatts1734 's review for:
The Foundation Trilogy
by Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov is probably the best science fiction writer of the 20th Century, and possibly even better than the classic authors like Wells or Verne. In the "Foundation" trilogy, Asimov is at his best. The "Foundation" is an institution founded by a scientist within a galactic empire that is at its apex and, according to the scientist, is about to experience its decline. This scientist is a "psychological engineer" who is able to use trends in human thought and civilization to predict patterns of human events over time. The foundation that he begins, austensibly as an archive for scientific documents, actually becomes an empire in its own right. Its true purpose is to preserve the civilization of the empire during the period of its decline and fall.
The interesting thing about the "Foundation" is the insights that Asimov has about human behavior. Through various stages of its history, the "Foundation" is a religious institution, a trade institution and a technological institution. It took the form of scientific organization, trade federation and cult center, at various times that benefitted its growth. While Asimov describes such things as technology and science, the things that I like to call the "gadget factor of scifi", these things are not important to the Foundation storyline. The real story is about the rise and fall of civilizations and the role of human weakness in all of it. My only real issue with the books is the stock that Asimov places in the ability of the "Psychological Engineers" to infallibly predict events hundreds and thousands of years in the future. Asimov himself, as a PhD Chemist, perhaps places an inordinate degree of confidence in academia.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in reading a good work of science fiction.
The interesting thing about the "Foundation" is the insights that Asimov has about human behavior. Through various stages of its history, the "Foundation" is a religious institution, a trade institution and a technological institution. It took the form of scientific organization, trade federation and cult center, at various times that benefitted its growth. While Asimov describes such things as technology and science, the things that I like to call the "gadget factor of scifi", these things are not important to the Foundation storyline. The real story is about the rise and fall of civilizations and the role of human weakness in all of it. My only real issue with the books is the stock that Asimov places in the ability of the "Psychological Engineers" to infallibly predict events hundreds and thousands of years in the future. Asimov himself, as a PhD Chemist, perhaps places an inordinate degree of confidence in academia.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in reading a good work of science fiction.