During negotiations with representatives of the Empire and the enemy kingdom of Anacreon, Hardin realizes that the Board shares the galaxy’s growing distrust of science and over-reliance on authority-the very traits the Foundation aims to counteract. Board chief Lewis Pirenne thinks only of his work on the Encyclopedia, cares nothing for politics, believes the Emperor will protect Terminus, and has the powerful Board completely on his side. His efforts to warn the Foundation’s Board of Trustees fail. This project will be called the Foundation.Īfter Seldon dies, others take up his work 50 years later, Terminus City Mayor Salvor Hardin realizes that a nearby kingdom of planets will soon attack the Foundation. On Terminus, they can preserve human knowledge in an Encyclopedia Galactica and prevent the worst of the coming dark ages. The emperor offers Seldon and his team of scholars the option to live in exile on the distant planet Terminus. Placed on trial for treason, Seldon convinces his inquisitors that his purpose is not to cause but to limit the coming tragedy.

The 2021 Apple TV series tie-in paperback edition forms the basis for this study guide.Įlderly mathematician Hari Seldon reveals that his new science, called psychohistory, predicts the collapse of the 12,000-year-old Galactic Empire and the destruction of its capital city on the planet Trantor.

The Foundation books have also been developed as a TV series. Some of his works have been made into films, including I Robot, Bicentennial Man, and Nightfall.

Asimov won many awards, including multiple Hugo and Nebula prizes for science fiction writing the first three books of the Foundation series also won a Hugo for Best All-Time Series. His works include mysteries, fantasies, children’s books, popular science, history, and religion. Extremely prolific, Asimov published some 500 fiction and nonfiction books along with hundreds of stories and essays. Asimov (1920-1992) is considered one of the most important science fiction writers of the 20th century.

Isaac asimov foundation