(i) In Second Foundation, Asimov mentions semantics, symbolic logic and psychoanalysis as stages on the way to psychohistory.
For comparison, see:
The Application Of Science To Society
Bacon, Boole, Biology, Basics Etc
A Few More References
(ii) Seldon's psychohistory and Valti's psychotechnics are mathematical.
(iii) Asimov says that sociology is mathematicized by generalization from individual psychology whereas the Psychotechnic Institute has experts working on both individual and social psychology, then combines them. See Human Behavior, Mass And Individual. In any case, Seldon had begun by applying mathematics to large populations, not by understanding individual psychology. He is later shown as seeking out individuals with mental powers after he has developed psychohistory.
(iv) Although Asimov refers to control of self and society, his psychohistorians seem to practice mainly hypnotic power over others whereas, in Anderson's "The Chapter Ends":
"He could have willed the vague report out of his trained nervous system, but he didn't want to."
-Poul Anderson, "The Chapter Ends" IN Anderson, The Complete Psychotechnic League, Volume 3 (Riverdale, NY, 2018), pp. 195-215 AT p. 199.
Asimov's Haphazard Plotting
Thesis: Psychohistory is a predictive science of large populations.
Antithesis: So an inherently unpredictable mentally powerful individual mutant disrupts Seldon's Plan by defeating his Foundation. (Mental power just means hypnotic control.)
Synthesis: But the secret Second Foundation's role is to safeguard the Plan. Therefore, non sequitur, the Second Foundation has not only addressed individual psychology but also developed mental powers comparable to those of the Mule!
2 comments:
Of course, now we know Freudian psychoanalysis was fraudulent, and that Freud deliberately misattributed perfectly true stories of incest and abuse into mental faults and delusions on the part of his patients.
(He started out believing them, and met immense pushback and harsh criticism from his peers; hence his change of 'theory').
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
And I simply don't believe in either "psychohistory" or "psychotechnology." And I think it's plain Anderson found such things too much of a strain to take seriously. He did mostly abandon such ideas after writing the undisputed Psychotechnic stories.
Instead, Anderson searched for "patterns" or "trends" in human history, and was influenced that way by Spengler, Toynbee, Hord, Voegelin, etc. And we know he was esp. enthusiastic about Hord's work.
Ad astra! Sean
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