From: Keith Henson (hkhenson@rogers.com)
Date: Fri 19 Dec 2003 - 04:44:31 GMT
At 01:04 AM 17/12/03 -0600, Brad Jensen wrote:
> > Science fiction aside,
>
>Sure, Harry Seldon.
" . . . in projecting a science of social prediction, SF writers have been
far ahead of the scientists. Isaac Asimov based the entire Foundation
series on "Psychohistory." Robert Heinlein developed the theme of
predicting social movement in his Future History stories, especially in
Revolt in 2100, Methuselah's Children, and in the unwritten saga of
Reverend Nehemiah Scudder."
Heinlein is not as well known on this topic, but I think he did it better.
There are two places in Methuselah's Children where Heinlein discussed
"psychodynamics," the first I discussed in detail here almost two years ago
in msg http://cfpm.org/~majordom/memetics/2000/9904.html.
The second is in this post http://cfpm.org/~majordom/memetics/2000/9907.html
Someone really should look through the Foundation books, post and comment
on the most applicable bits. I am fairly sure if you asked you could get a
scan of them or ask for particular pages to be scanned.
If nobody else does this in the next month or two, I might find the time.
Keith Henson
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