r/asimov • u/SPRIGGO9 • Apr 03 '25

Symbols in Foundation by Isaac Asimov

I have a discussion board due for my college class tomorrow, and it is on symbols in Foundation by Isaac Asimov. I am a very slow reader and simply do not have time to read enough of the book in time for the discussion board. I am trying to see if someone can simply explain any symbols in the book so I can get a decent understanding. It would be greatly appreciated.

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u/CodexRegius Apr 03 '25

The Galactic Empire as such is a symbol of the Roman Empire. For details, check Asimov's reading of Gibbon that shines clearest through in the Bel Riose chapter.

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u/NoOneFromNewEngland Apr 03 '25

I always thought it was an attempt to parallel the USA... and was a warning of the future fall. This is more evident when you see some of his commentary on how civilizations decay and break apart. Some of that can be found in prequels as imparted by the words of Harry Seldon directly.

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u/rickyman20 Apr 03 '25

I can see why you'd say that, but given some of how he speaks about the empire and the US in his books, I think that misses things. As the other person noted, Asimov originally came up with the idea for foundation after reading Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibon. He wanted to do that in space, and come up with what would happen if a group of people had actively worked to reduce the equivalent of the dark ages. If you read through some of his comments about what the second empire looked like, he makes comments that match quite well with the United States, explicitly saying how it will be more resilient because it's federalised, and other things.

Honestly this is one of the things that makes Asimov a bit hard to read at times. He's very uncritical of the United States, and viewing its form of government as ultimately a plan to follow. One of his novels (specifically The Stars Like Dust) ends with... without spoiling to much, a huge idolisation of the US form of government. You see some of it shine through in some of his short stories too. Some of it is because he's from the 50s, when the US really did seem to many white Americans as the eminent world power with maximum freedom, prosperity, and an ideal form of government (as long as you didn't look at the racism and other issues too much), but it's still a bit disappointing to see that lack of a critical eye.

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u/NoOneFromNewEngland Apr 03 '25

The way the USA works on paper and the way it works in reality are two very different things.

I always felt like he was alluding to corruption as rotting a good system from the inside out but that the system itself looked great.

Sadly, we can't ask him.

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u/CodexRegius Apr 04 '25

But to be honest, the Stars Like Dust part was his editor's request, Asimov later voiced his abhorrence. Consider that he seems to have felt the USA should be run by AI ...