Isaac Asimov's six-novel science fiction series, Foundation (1951-1988) covers a vast future history of human civilization. Its beginning is already far in the future, after humans have colonized and conquered our galaxy and created a Galactic Empire. Despite the time and space differences, Foundation's fictional history seems closely parallel to our current real history. In both histories, humanity faces collapse and destruction and is called on to respond intelligently.
In the story, a scientist named Hari Seldon works out a mathematical forecast, using a method he terms psychohistory, which indicates that the Empire will soon fall, followed by a dark age lasting 30,000 years. Seldon sets out to create two secret "foundations" - one at Earth's end of the galaxy and one at the far end- whose members would use psychohistory to affect history. Seldon predicts that with planning and interventions from the foundations, the galaxy's dark age can be shortened to 1,000 years.
In the more limited context of our single planet, we too face collapse of our human civilizations, spelled out in our new creations in biotech and AI. The collapse will be a rebirth, as we are replaced with an updated species. Old style humans involved in the transition's rollout- either through science, business or politics- will be somewhat protected, but most of humanity will face a brutal retirement and attendant dark age.
What if we had a "foundation," not necessarily secret as in the novel, to help with this transition, to make it less of a dark age? Such a group could be composed of visionaries, scientists, political thinkers and, most crucially, retired high school English teachers. Its functioning would not be like that of political parties, which reflect and distort the noise of the moment. This foundation would think in terms, not of election seasons, but of centuries and millennia. Though it might not have statutory power, it should have the ear of power and a significant bully pulpit.
Asimov was a realist in the sense that he was not utopian. The foundations in his story work reasonably well and according to Seldon's plan for a few centuries, restoring structure to galactic society, but then any number of things start going to hell, among them a resurgence of selfish egos in politics. Complicating the picture, the First Foundation, as it thinks of itself, has lost track of the Second, and develops anxiety and paranoia about it. When the Second Foundation is located (in the vicinity of "a mythical planet called Earth") we learn that Second Foundation progeny have evolved into Mentalics, who can read and manipulate the emotions of others (even more than people can today!). It turns out that Mentalics are everywhere, carrying out conspiracies within conspiracies that Hari Seldon may or may not have engineered.
The coolest thing in the story, to me, is a forgotten planet called Gaia, possibly unforseen by Seldon, which "is inhabited solely by Mentalics to such an extent that every organism and inanimate object on the planet shares a common mind." That alone would seem to justify the galactic experiment.
The story ends with the two foundations agreeing to disagree: the First Foundation based on "mastery of the physical world and its traditional political organization," and the Second Foundation "based on Mentalics and probable rule by an elite using mind control." A third force is Gaia, with "its path of absorption of the entire galaxy into one shared, harmonious living entity in which all beings, and the galaxy itself, would be a part."
Asimov's foundations do not save humanity, but they do express humanity's thoughts on saving itself, in non-utopian terms. Our formulations should not be utopian either. Setting up a foundation that employs the long-view of the human project, and imbuing it with prestige and authority of sorts, would not be the same as saving the planet, or even a country. But it could be a useful escape from the deception and futility of current party politics, whose only concrete result will be a nuclear weapon going off in Ukraine.
A foundation could give us a shot at more productive goals, with a sense of future.
