Since the 1950s,The basethe series remained only a trilogy:The base,Foundation and Empire, uThe second foundation. It even won a Hugo Award for "Best Series of All Time" in 1966.
Thirty years later, Asimov decided to double the size of the series. Asimov wrote two sequels,rand foundationUFoundation and Earthand two prequels,Prelude to the foundationUForward Foundation. Additions to the series allowed Asimov fromThe basethe story of his other two epic series,RobotUrico. This involved some of the most tectonic examples of re-deception in science fiction history.
If you haven't read the original trilogy, you should! Here are the links:
SIGUEN SPOILER...
FromThe baseThe series revolves around Harry Seldon. Seldon is a mathematician who discovers a scientific method for predicting and analyzing the various futures of the universe. Seldon actually discovers a way to transform the soft sciences of sociology and psychology into hard sciences, capable of producing repeatable and predictable results. This is called psychohistory.
Seldon uses psychohistory to predict the coming collapse of the Galactic Empire and the thousand generations (30,000 years) of lawlessness and barbarism that will follow. Harry Seldon then uses psychohistory to invent some kind of ark that will preserve human knowledge. It's called the Foundation. The goal of the Foundation is to shorten the period of barbarism to only a thousand years.
FromThe baseThe series is set so far into humanity's future that Earth, the origin of humanity, barely survives as a legend. So how could this sci-fi series be inspired by the history of the Church?
Asimov's theologyThe baseSeries: Is the Asimov Foundation actually the Catholic Church?
To begin with, what is the Foundation? How does that work in galactic history? These are some of the basic ideas:
- Psychohistory:Harry Seldon can predict the next few thousand years of human history.
- The empire ends in 300 years:Seldon predicts that Trantor, the capital of the Empire (more on Trantor below and howStar Warswas inspired by it), will be destroyed in 300 years as the climax of the fall of the Galactic Empire.
- Anarchy and barbarism accompany the end of the Empire:The fall of the Galactic Empire will result in a 30,000 year period of anarchy before another Empire is established.
- The foundation will reduce the age of barbarism from 30,000 years to 1,000: The goal of Seldon's project is to influence events so that the period between reigns is only 1,000 years, rather than 30,000.
- The Foundation will lead the galaxy to the creation of the Second Empire:The First Galactic Empire will be followed by the Second Galactic Empire, it's just a matter of when.
- Preserving the entire collective knowledge of the Galaxy: encyclopedists would create a giantGalactic Encyclopediawhich will contain all human knowledge.
- Make a book:As mentioned above, Seldon's goal for the Foundation was to create a book, but the goal actually went much further.
- A foundation designed to overcome various historical crises: Seldon designs and locates the Foundation to perfectly weather various historical crises.
- Foundation starting at the farthest corner of the Milky Way: Seldon manipulated the Emperor into terminating Terminus as a core planet. Terminus was as far from the galactic center as possible.
- A foundation that extends to the farthest reaches of the Milky Way: From distant Terminus, the Foundation's influence would spread throughout the galaxy. The foundation was extremely persecuted at first because it had no weapons and no sources of metal ores.
- Seldon predicted that it would only take a small group to change the course of human civilization:Seldon predicted that the Foundation would only need a small group of 100,000 people who could be trained in the knowledge, technology, and civilization to eventually change the entire galaxy. This highly trained and disciplined group of scholars and visionaries became the Foundation.
- second base:Seldon established not one but two foundations. Another Foundation was established on the other side of the galaxy from Terminus.
Are you beginning to see how all this points to the Catholic Church? Let's go through these details step by step to see the connections.
I have not found any statement by Isaac Asimov confirming the connection. However, after looking at them, decide whether Asmiov had the Church in mind when he created the Foundation.
Asimov's theologyThe baseSeries: Comparing Asimov's Founding to the Catholic Church
I have explained the distinctive features of the Foundation above. Now let's see how all this applies to the church:
1.Psychohistory: The Prophecies of Jesus
Harry Seldon is basically a science fiction version of Jesus, and psychological history is a science fiction version of Christian prophecy. Interestingly, science fiction and fantasy often tell the story of the Messiah before his victory. That's howWorth,Star Warsetc. everything starts. Asimov immediately skips over it (at least until he announcedPrelude to the foundation).
Harry Seldon can predict the next few thousand years of human history, which is why he founded the Foundation. Jesus, of course, can prophesy over and over until the end of time.
Seldon foresees several "Seldon crises". Jesus prophesies the first great "Jesus crisis" that will befall the Church: the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70. Jesus told Christians what to expect and how to avoid the slaughter: "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, know that destruction is near" (Luke 21:20).
| Siege and destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans under Titus, AD 70. David Roberts of the Royal Academy of Great Britain; in the middle of the 19th century |
The historian Eusebius notes that every Christian escaped the terrible destruction of the city: [2]
However, the whole body of the church in Jerusalem, after being ordained by divine revelation, given to the people there of recognized piety before the war, left the city and settled in a city on the other side of the Jordan, called Pella.
Jesus, of course, predicted much more than the first hundred years of the Church. Like Seldon, Jesus also foresaw all later crises in the Church. More on that below.
2. The Galactic Empire ends in 300 years: the endromanorico
When Christ "founded" the Catholic Church in the 30s of our era.romanoThe empire has about the same number of years left. Most historians estimate the end of the Western Roman Empire in 476, the year Romulus Augustulus was forced to abdicate by the Germanic leader Odoacer.
| The End of the Galactic Empire - More on the Asimov connectionsThe baseUStar Warsunder |
3.Lawlessness and barbarism follow at the end of the Empire: the Dark Ages
The fall of the Galactic Empire will result in a 30,000 year period of anarchy before another Empire is established.
The fall of the Roman Empire led to a period of lawlessness and barbarism, the Middle Ages. Regardless of whether the Middle Ages were really as "dark" as all that, there was an extensive interregnum of small (comparatively) warlike barbarian tribes.
| Brueghel the Elder's Triumph of Death |
4.The foundation will reduce the age of barbarism from 30,000 years to 1,000: the "Holy" Roman Empire
The next great empires that even compared to the Roman Empire in terms of size and scope were the Frankish Empire of Charlemagne and later the Holy Roman Empire. Both empires were based in part on the centralizing power of the Church.
So the Pope crowned Charlemagne emperor. The Pope would crown almost all the Holy Roman Emperors. It was a sign of the legitimacy of his government.
| Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne emperor |
5.The Foundation will lead the galaxy to the creation of the Second Empire:Second Roman Empire
As mentioned above, there was a second Roman Empire (even a third) - the Holy Roman Empire. The Middle Ages lasted more or less from the Roman Empire to the Holy Roman Empire.
What was the "Third Roman Empire", you ask? In fact, it was called "ThirdRico"... by Hitler. Hitler intended the Nazi Empire to be the third iteration of the Roman Empire. The Church (read: Foundation) actually helpedpreventthis accident, but that's an article for another day.
6. Preserving the entire collective knowledge of the galaxy: monasteries
Christian monasteries preserve many Greek and Latin texts of classical antiquity. Almost all manuscripts from that time that were kept in secular or private libraries were destroyed during the Middle Ages. The Viking raids of that time were particularly destructive to books.
The monasteries of the Church, as well as the Foundation, preserved the collective sum of human knowledge throughout the Middle Ages.
7.Make a book: What book did the church make? Hmm...
As mentioned above, Seldon's public goal for the Foundation was to create a book. What book did the Catholic Church collect, publish and distribute around the world?
The Bible, of course! The Bible is still the most published book in the world...and the Galaxy.
8. Foundation intended to overcome various historical crises: "Gates of Hell" and church councils
Seldon designs and locates the Foundation to perfectly weather various historical crises.
Jesus also designed the Church to resist all the forces of history. Jesus himself said: "On this rock I will build my Church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18).
Jesus promises that the Church will last, not only until the Second Galactic/Roman Empire, but until the very end of time! So Christ surpasses even the imagination of one of the greatest science fiction writers of all time.
And not only that, Christ designs the Church to resist various
attack. In the first thousand years of the Church (as well as in the second thousand), various theological crises, or heresies, appeared. The Church overcame all these crises through the use of consistories, such as the Council of Nicaea and the Arian heresies or the Council of Trent and the Protestant heresies.
| Nicejski flavor |
9. The foundation begins in the farthest corner of the Milky Way: The Birth of the Church in Israel
The foundation was established on Terminus, as far from the galactic center as possible.Similarly, the Christian church in Israel began in the Roman province of Judea, one of the most remote and insignificant provinces of the Roman Empire.
10. The foundation for reaching the farthest corners of the galaxy: take the gospel to the ends of the earth
From distant Terminus, the Foundation's influence would spread throughout the galaxy. The foundation was extremely persecuted at first because it had no weapons and no sources of metal ores.
Likewise, the early history of the Church was marked by extreme persecutions and the death of martyrs: as "lambs to the slaughter" (Psalm 44:23). Nevertheless, the church persisted. The Church eventually became the state religion of the Roman Empire...and much more.
Jesus told his small group of followers: "... you will receive the power of the Holy Spirit who has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8).
And they did. Asmerchant princethe apostles got their power from the Foundation. The church spread the gospel to the end of the world. Some of this happened even within the first generation of the Church: the apostle St. Thomas reached India.
>> Speaking of "merchant princes", heremy article on the patriarch Abraham, the merchant prince.
11.SeIdon predicted that it would take only a small group to change the course of human civilization: Jesus began with twelve
Seldon predicted that the Foundation would only need a small group of 100,000 people who could be trained in knowledge, technology and civilization to eventually change the entire galaxy.
100,000? Jesus only needed 12! Once again, Jesus surpasses even the imagination of science fiction.
These Twelve, as described above, traveled a long way to reach the "end of the earth."
12. Second foundation: Eastern Orthodox Church
Seldon established not one but two foundations. Another Foundation was established on the other side of the galaxy from Terminus.
Just as Seldon founded two foundations, two major churches can trace their foundation directly to Jesus: the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church.
The Catholic Church survived in the West, and the Eastern Orthodox Church in the East. Likewise, two foundations are established at either end of the galaxy, such as east and west.
Conclusion: Was Isaac Asimov inspired by Church history?
There are too many connections. It is not directly confirmed whether Isaac Asimov consciously wrote about Jesus and the Church. However, it is well documented that the Roman Empire and the Middle Ages were a plotThe baseseries
Sources confirm that Isaac Asimov created the fictional Galactic Empire based on the Roman Empire in the early 1940s. This was done as a suggestion to John W. Campbell, after Asimov read Edward Gibbon's book.The story of the fall and fall of the Roman Empirewhile working at the Philadelphia Navy Yard... with Robert Heinlein.
The decline and fall of the Galactic/Roman Empire concept developed through short stories and novellas in thescary science fictionmagazine in the 1940s, culminating in the publication of the magazineThe basetrilogies of the early 1950s [4]
Newt Gingrich: The Church and the Foundation
Interestingly, Newt Gingrich, whose own political activity was inspired by Gibbon and Asim, is one of the few who established a connection between the Church and the Foundation.
Urebuild america, Gingrich claims that Asimov turned the fall of Rome into a science fiction novel inThe basetrilogy. Gingrich goes on to argue that the "Foundation" represents a secular group of people who play a role similar to that of the Catholic Church when it maintained civilized knowledge during the Dark Ages and Middle Ages. Foundation scientists are unable to stop the decline of the empire by gathering knowledge to limit the Dark Ages and spark the Renaissance.[5]
Gingrich, like Seldon, is also a progressive professor of history. Surprisingly, Gingrich is also a convert to Catholicism! You talk about "all roads lead to Rome"!
Use:Star Warshe also seems to be in a lot of debtThe baseseries
Galactic Empire? Emperor? This sounds strangely familiar...
Imperial Capitol Planets: Trantor and Coruscant
U tomeThe baseseries, planetTrantorit was so developed that its surface was completely covered by construction. HeStar Warsplanet ofcoruscantit looked very similar. Coruscant was also covered in layers and layers of construction: the entire planet was one big city. Both planets were also closer to the centers of their galaxies. Coruscant was actually called "Imperial Center". Ultimately, both were the capitals of their empires.
Isaac Asimov on being an atheist:
When asked in an interview in 1982 if he was an atheist, Asimov replied:
I'm an atheist, through and through. It took me a long time to say that. I was an atheist for years and years, but I somehow felt that it was intellectually disrespectful to say that someone is an atheist because it assumes knowledge that someone does not have. In a way, it was more correct to say that someone was a humanist or an agnostic. I finally decided that I am a creature of emotions and mind. I am an emotional atheist. I have no proof that God doesn't exist, but I doubt it so strongly that I don't want to waste my time.[6]
Theology of the Foundation Series - Notes:
[1] "Robotics: A Brief History",Stanford University
[2] by Eusebiuschurch history, pies CF Crusè, 3rd edition, enGreek church historians, 6 parts. (London: Samuel Bagster and Sons, 1842), p. 110 (3:5).
[3] Neil Goble,Asimov analyzed,Mirage (1972), 32-34.
[4] Gary Raham,Teaching science facts with science fiction, Libraries Unlimited (2004), 27, 96–97.
[5] Newt Gingrich,rebuild america, HarperCollins (1996); Joan Didion also refers to Gingrich's vision of her ownpolitical fictions, str. 187.
[6] "Isaac Asimov on Science and the Bible," Free Inquiry, Spring 1982.