Sign in with Facebook
BlackOxford's Reviews > Foundation
Foundation (Foundation, #1)
by
by
Life in the Garden of Letters
Foundation is a technological society which believes it can avoid its likely demise through the application of more technology. Even its ‘thought leaders’ believe their job is to preserve technological knowledge in anticipation of the impending dark ages.
But everything they think they know about the past and their projected future and their role in both is false. The question they face is: can a new purpose into which they have been manipulated by their ancestors as well as by current events be accepted as their own?
What does it mean to accept such a purpose which appears to be already determined? To fake participation in an inevitable fate? To promote technology as a sort of religious cult? Is anyone really in charge? Democracy, to which Foundation is ostensibly committed, is a fickle and unpredictable form. What is approved today may be cast aside tomorrow.
Asimov’s understanding of science and imaginative story-telling makes him a credible writer. His ability to incorporate perennial questions of human import - including the moral and political - into this understanding makes him a great writer. Dealing with our inheritance of what is usually called culture, or tradition, or simply the past is a difficult subject to think about. Does it matter? Can anything be done to overcome an historical trajectory? Or do we have some sort of cosmic duty to conform to its demands?
Perhaps there is a Plan after all. If not God’s then one very astute scientist’s. And perhaps it involves keeping as many of us alive as possible to carry it out. The essence of this Plan is not taking action until the only action to take becomes clear. The only decision in such a strategy is the refusal to take a decision. Who knows. Could be. The result could hardly be worse than the rationalised missteps of arrogant political leaders or the volatile preferences of the democratic mob.
Foundation is a technological society which believes it can avoid its likely demise through the application of more technology. Even its ‘thought leaders’ believe their job is to preserve technological knowledge in anticipation of the impending dark ages.
But everything they think they know about the past and their projected future and their role in both is false. The question they face is: can a new purpose into which they have been manipulated by their ancestors as well as by current events be accepted as their own?
What does it mean to accept such a purpose which appears to be already determined? To fake participation in an inevitable fate? To promote technology as a sort of religious cult? Is anyone really in charge? Democracy, to which Foundation is ostensibly committed, is a fickle and unpredictable form. What is approved today may be cast aside tomorrow.
Asimov’s understanding of science and imaginative story-telling makes him a credible writer. His ability to incorporate perennial questions of human import - including the moral and political - into this understanding makes him a great writer. Dealing with our inheritance of what is usually called culture, or tradition, or simply the past is a difficult subject to think about. Does it matter? Can anything be done to overcome an historical trajectory? Or do we have some sort of cosmic duty to conform to its demands?
Perhaps there is a Plan after all. If not God’s then one very astute scientist’s. And perhaps it involves keeping as many of us alive as possible to carry it out. The essence of this Plan is not taking action until the only action to take becomes clear. The only decision in such a strategy is the refusal to take a decision. Who knows. Could be. The result could hardly be worse than the rationalised missteps of arrogant political leaders or the volatile preferences of the democratic mob.
Sign into Goodreads to see if any of your friends have read
Foundation.
Sign In »
Reading Progress
Comments Showing 1-39 of 39 (39 new)
date
newest »
newest »
message 1:
by
Mike
(new)
-
added it
Feb 23, 2020 07:08AM
I've read Clarke, Dick and Heinlein but never Asimov. You make him sound very thought-provoking, Michael.
reply
|
flag
Asimov was the first sci-fi author I ever read. I read “I Robot” and then proceeded to devour many of his books. I was a teenager. I wonder if you found that “Foundation” has aged?
Mike wrote: "I've read Clarke, Dick and Heinlein but never Asimov. You make him sound very thought-provoking, Michael."The grand-daddy of modern sci-fi. Must read.
Jen wrote: "The very first science fiction series I read. I owe Asimov an unspeakable debt of gratitude for getting me interested in science. Thanks for this pleasant reminder."Don’t we all. Thanks for your reminder as well.
Cris wrote: "Asimov was the first sci-fi author I ever read. I read “I Robot” and then proceeded to devour many of his books. I was a teenager. I wonder if you found that “Foundation” has aged?"Part of my miseducation is that I never read Foundation before. I’m trying to correct the situation.
So strange. I was in a bookstore a couple of days ago, not having planned my reading for a long trip very well. I was holding this book for the longest time, but never really having read science fiction much, passed, as interesting as it looked. Turns out the book I got doesn't do much for me. Asimov back on the list.
Excellent review of book one of the greatest sci-fi trilogies ever written.
Greg wrote: "So strange. I was in a bookstore a couple of days ago, not having planned my reading for a long trip very well. I was holding this book for the longest time, but never really having read science fi..."Spooky. Of course there are no coincidences. The future is calling... 🤓
Jay wrote: "Excellent review of book one of the greatest sci-fi trilogies ever written."Thanks, Jay. It is indeed.
i confess i read this when i was twelve, so got little of the quasi-religious aspects you note, when i moved on to le guin i took on her distaste for the ‘roman empire of the stars’ trope of much pulp sf. perhaps i should try this again...
Michael wrote: "i confess i read this when i was twelve, so got little of the quasi-religious aspects you note, when i moved on to le guin i took on her distaste for the ‘roman empire of the stars’ trope of much p..."Star Wars wrecked Asimov’s oeuvre.
star wars wrecked serious sf...
Wonderful review. I love the Foundation trilogy. :-)
Michael wrote: "star wars wrecked serious sf..."That too.
Collin wrote: "Wonderful review. I love the Foundation trilogy. :-)"I’m a newbie but am catching up.
I read this from the school library as 15 year old. With my own money as a 16 year old I purchased all three with the wonderful artwork that matched from book to book. That was according to Goodread the 1960 editions by Panther Books but I know I got them in 1976. I so hope to read them again one day. I would be so interested in your review of Dune of you have never read it.
fourtriplezed wrote: "I read this from the school library as 15 year old. With my own money as a 16 year old I purchased all three with the wonderful artwork that matched from book to book. That was according to Goodrea..."I tired to read Dune in my youth but couldn’t get through it. I should try it again to see how much the book has improved.
My late mother was huge fan of Asimov even in her early 70s she was still reading them up to her death in 2009. She said he was one of the founders of modern technology in sf
Stephen wrote: "My late mother was huge fan of Asimov even in her early 70s she was still reading them up to her death in 2009. She said he was one of the founders of modern technology in sf"She was right of course. The first Foundation was written in 1951 but doesn’t feel at all dated.
So are you heading through the full trilogy now? There is plenty of irony ahead.
HBalikov wrote: "So are you heading through the full trilogy now? There is plenty of irony ahead."I think I’ll give it a rest for the moment. I don’t know if the irony is his or mine, but it is trying.
BlackOxford wrote: "HBalikov wrote: "So are you heading through the full trilogy now? There is plenty of irony ahead."I think I’ll give it a rest for the moment. I don’t know if the irony is his or mine, but it is t..."
I'll note that we had similar reactions. I am not up for a re-read yet.
I remember Foundation as one of my formative novels. I read it in my teens and it shaped my understanding of processes that can happen in a society much better than any political science class could.
Piotr wrote: "I remember Foundation as one of my formative novels. I read it in my teens and it shaped my understanding of processes that can happen in a society much better than any political science class could."The power of literate fiction! One reason that sociologists should learn to write better.
Somehow Asimov falls into the category with Ray Bradbury of cooking the overbaked ham of science fiction (in different ways). Maybe 4/5 is possible just based on writing a whole trilogy based on the idea that someone solved sociology.
The cicle of foundations was one of the best books I ever read. So insightful.
Utti wrote: "The cicle of foundations was one of the best books I ever read. So insightful."Yes, it’s wonderful.
I read this series so long ago that your review helped me remember why I really enjoyed it. Asimov was the sci fi I cut my teeth on. Thanks for the review.
B wrote: "I read this series so long ago that your review helped me remember why I really enjoyed it. Asimov was the sci fi I cut my teeth on. Thanks for the review."An amazing writer who clearly remains memorable throughout life. Well said.
Nice explication of the Foundation culture - along with its implied critique of our own.
"Star Wars wrecked serious SF" I was ten when I first saw Kubrick's "2001" - and impressed that a film-maker really knew the soundlessness of a strong vacuum.
I was 17 when I saw star wars.
In between, I read millions of words of "hard SF". Thus innoculated I was far more impressed by Carrie Fisher's lovliness and Harrison Ford's rougishness than by any "SF" aspect of it.
(of course, it was a damn good Virtue vs. Evil tale that ended right)
With a year or so Ben Bova, editor of Analog magazine, put a useful label on it - "space western" - or perhaps "space opera" - which let me know I was in good company.
I tired (sic) to read Dune in my youth but couldn’t get through it. I should try it again to see how much the book has improved.Dune was my first "difficult novel" - but I solderied through the first 25% and it "got better".
On reread, it was quite rewarding - worth picking up again.
I guess so… I think.🤷♂️
I've read Dune twice; on a relative basis I consider it better than Foundation. But neither is going to be the best written book you've ever read.Dune was published in 1965 and the format reflects this: long, endless blocks of text and marathon chapters. Proust might be able to get away with this, but not Frank Herbert.
Meanwhile, note how much George Lucas ripped off Dune...
http://www.moongadget.com/origins/dun...
Michael wrote: "I've read Dune twice; on a relative basis I consider it better than Foundation. But neither is going to be the best written book you've ever read.Dune was published in 1965 and the format reflect..."
I read Dune indeterminate decades ago. It didn’t grab me then, probably because I was too young. Perhaps I should revisit.
It's VERY slow going in the beginning. Herbert is laying the groundwork for all the concepts and competing factions that will be in play for the rest of the book. It's takes about 25% in before things pick up.
As much as I loved both sci-fi franchises, I think both suffer from, "where are the women?" syndrome. From what I recall, Foundation's prequels fix this- to some extent- but for most of it, women simply are not there. Dune does have women but they are not exactly well written and after a while slide into failing the Bechdel test as all they do is talk about Paul or the Paul-insert in the sequels.
Nocturnalux wrote: "As much as I loved both sci-fi franchises, I think both suffer from, "where are the women?" syndrome. From what I recall, Foundation's prequels fix this- to some extent- but for most of it, women s..."The Bechdel Test. Learned something new again.🤓
In the Foundation TV series airing on Apple TV, the main protagonists are women of color.
