that I maybe should have read the Robot Novels first. But I digress.
This year I decided it was time to work my way through the book I have that is the core of the Foundation Series. It happens to be a complitation of ‘Foundation’, ‘Foundation and Empire’ and ‘Second Foundation’. It’s an old copy in hardbound. I approached it with the idea that I would read in entirety Isaac Asimov’s Foundation Series.
I found reading it very interesting. Particularly the whole idea that this plan could not fail. There is such faith in it. It’s much like I suspect some religious zealots experience. They have such faith and belief that their way is right and true and destined to be the ‘One’ whatever.
While reading it I would at times find myself speculating as to the potential inevitablity of some of my actions over the years. Not to say that I think some one thing was always going to happen. Much like in the stories, there is always a set of possibilities or probablilities.
In the stories, many people believe in the inevitability of certain changes and certain advancements. However, that they truly will come is only a probability. Some states have a high probablility and some states have lower probability. It ties nicely with Quantum Physics and the predicament of Schroedinger’s Cat. Or the state of a Quantum partical at any given point.
The mathematics of the Plan in the Foundation Series is interesting. It’s interesting in that it is based on mob mentality essentially. Not mob mentality in the sense of an unruly mob that causes trouble and some people just get caught up in it. More the idea that based on historical behaviours the chances of societal changes happening and sustaining, can be predicted. The larger the mob the greater the accuracy for the higher probablility to occur.
And so as I’ve been reading these stories, when I’m doing something that doesn’t require much extra brain power, I find myself contemplating the existence of this sort of science. Let’s face it, we practice it to a degree already. A great example is the Actuarial Sciences. The people that work in this field are responsible for taking segments of data and making models of that data in a manner to determine the profitability of something. The insurance industry makes considerable use of this science. Economist also practice similar wizardry. They look at historical data and current data and try to predict the likelihood of a recession, or the end of a recession or a variety of other economic quandries.
And so, what and interesting read the Foundation Series has been.
Cheers.
Originally published at: suguayproductions.com/joomla which has been discontinued.
