SELDOM FOUNDATION: Private research institution, established 134/1108 on
PLANET (SECTOR 0000), dedicated to the study and development of psycho-
history. The head of the Foundation was Dr. "Seldom", a Hiver and former
head of the sociology department at the University of CITY, PLANET. Dr.
Seldom was best known not for [his?] papers on advanced psychohistorical
models, but for surprisingly accurate predictions that appeared in local
tabloids.
In 1124, the Foundation broke its usual silence with a press conference,
in which Dr. Seldom announced that the fall of the Third Imperium was
inevitable and outlined a plan to preserve as much for the future as
possible. While this claim was supressed elsewhere by Imperial censors
(under Lucan), worsening conditions on PLANET soon led to widespread
belieft that the Foundation was right and that only by following its
directives could they hope to survive.
In 1126, however, internal documentation was leaked to the press reveal-
ing that the Foundation was attempting to subtly guide PLANET society to
a point where they could smoothly take control of the government - a
responsibility the psychohistorians felt they were best qualified to
hold, on the premise that the best state is the one that can most
efficiently manipulate the people to do and think as the leaders wish
them to.
In a highly emotional trial in which comparisons were frequently made to
Zhodani society and practices, Dr. Seldom and most of the senior
researchers were found guilty of treason, conspiracy, and several million
counts of unlawful coercion. All were executed.
NOTE: The above entry is not present in any RCES library database. If
PCs should somehow learn of the Foundation from rumors or other sources
and attempt to follow up on it by checking their own records, the Hiver
technical expert assigned to each RCES vessel will apologetically remind
them that Imperial-era library data, even when not infected by Virus, is
notoriously spotty.
Trust the Hivers. The Hivers are our Friends.
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AUTHOR'S NOTE: This post is not intended as an attack on the late Dr.
Asimov or his works, but rather on the goals and methods of the Second
Foundation (as revealed in the book of the same name). Their moral
justification for manipulating minds and societies seems to me nothing
more than a refined version of 'might makes right' - we have the power,
we're justified in using it. Their plan for the future of humanity is
a chilling 'utopia', much like the darker visions people have of the
Zhodani. On top of all of this, they're not even practicing good
science anymore, changing the data/experimental population to fit their
theories rather than vice versa. This is called 'fudging the results.'
Bad.
I guess this library data entry is my way of dealing with the profound
disgust I felt upon finishing the book - a way of denying the Foundation
their seemingly-inevitable victory. I sincerely hope that Dr. Asimov
did not intend for the Second Foundation to be seen sympathetically.
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Kelly St.Clair (Daydreamer) "Damnit, Jiim! I'm a doctor, not a Viking!"
[email removed] L. Mikkoi, M.D., RCES