Robert Heinlein's Future History: Technology progresses but society regresses until a technologically based religious dictatorship has to be overthrown but then, after some further difficulties, the first mature civilization emerges.
Isaac Asimov's Foundation: A predictive science of society is used merely to manipulate populations without their knowledge or consent. A mental science becomes merely a means of mental control.
Frank Herbert's Dune: Power politics. Paul Atreides gains sole control of a unique natural resource with the result that other factions unite against him.
Poul Anderson's Psychotechnic History: A predictive science of society is applied with mixed results.
Poul Anderson's Technic History, in particular A Knight Of Ghosts And Shadows: A serious discussion of how bad decisions might prevent the free growth of a society, thus causing successive stages of decline.
Poul Anderson's Genesis: Post-organic intelligence.
There are others, of course.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
I never thought that idea of Heinlein, evangelical Protestants setting up a theocratic dictatorship in the US, very convincing. I can imagine some people like Nehemiah Scudder existing, but not that kind of dictatorship. I would put it down to RAH's dislike for evangelical Protestants--a dislike I find rather puzzling. Anderson had a far more nuanced view of them in his article "Science and Creation" and in his story "The Bitter Bread."
Ad astra! Sean
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