A glimmer of hope for the future

[Cyrano]

Most of the first millennium of the Christian Era was dominated by religion/superstition.

Most of the second millennium was dominated by politicians who called themselves kings, conquerors, and emperors, and by a dozen other titles. But religion/superstition was still a part of it all.

And from the last century, on into this third millennium, humanity has and is being dominated by robber barons. But politicians and religion/superstition are still playing their roles.

For anyone on DU who ever read “The Foundation Trilogy,” by Isaac Asimov, the above overview of humanity of the past couple of thousand years would come as no surprise.

Asimov was a science fiction writer, but beyond that, he was a scientist (a professor of biochemistry at Boston University), a historian and a visionary. He knew that at certain periods of time, dolts, fools, incompetents, and villains would control the levers of power. And that occasionally, greatness would shine through and there would be periods of enlightenment.

But he also put forth the proposition that progress was inevitable and that, over long periods of time, reason, sanity and civilized relations among humans would win out. (The issue that he didn’t raise in the trilogy was ecology. We might destroy ourselves before we can save ourselves.)

I don’t expect many, if any, responses to this OP. But if you're reading this, do yourself a favor and treat your mind to the incredible lessons in history, reason and our possible future embedded in Asimov’s “Foundation Trilogy.” (I first read it when I was 14, and I’m currently rereading it.) It will lift you out of the depression you’re feeling about the state of the current reality in which we're living. And it will remind you that we’re all just passing through and that greatness may lie in the future for our descendents.

[MuseRider]

1. Thank you for this Cyrano.

I read it so long ago that I don't remember many of the details of it. I always loved Asimov. This is a wonderful suggestion. I will line those up and move them forward in my list of what to read next. Just started The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks about the HeLa cells. Excellent book so far and should not take long. I will move the Trilogy to the next place, I hope I still have them. I miss Asimov, I miss his magazine.

[valerief]

2. Knowing that "things will get better when I'm dead" isn't really comforting.

:rofl:

But I will put Asimov in my reading queue.

[Cyrano]

13. So you agree with our current robber barons that

all that matters is what happens while you yourself are alive?

Many, if not most liberals/progressives I know, dream of a better world. And they know they probably will not be around to see it. Nonetheless, there's comfort in knowing that ignorance and barbarism will eventually be overcome and that humanity may fulfill its potential.

[valerief]

14. I'm no martyr but I can share. A better tomorrow won't compensate for a sucky today. nt

[kctim]

16. It is an impossible dream

One man's 'better world' will always be anothers 'hell.'

[villager]

3. Hmmm... so, who is "The Mule?"

In terms of our present juncture? ;-)

[Cyrano]

5. That's like asking "Who is John Galt?"

[villager]

12. Is it? Doesn't the "Galt" question simply mean "read the book?" I was just wondering

....who might be a unifying-yet-psychotic sorta character in our own history.

Course, guess we're talking "future history?" ;-)

[Uncle Joe]

4. Asimov was a great author and visionary.

Thanks for the thread, Cyrano.:thumbsup:

[RT Atlanta]

6. Arc of history is long, but it bends towards justice

said Dr. King

[Arugula Latte]

7. Societies that pull away from religion - superstition - mythology do much better.

I take comfort that "no religion" is one of the fastest growing demographics in the U.S., but we are still pitifully up to our ears in religious nuttery here.

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. Yep. History matters

thanks

:thumbsup:

[rurallib]

9. I often think how our time on earth is so short in the march of

history and the eons that came before man.
If we each keep fighting to bring rationality and light to the world eventually it will overtake the religion and superstition

[kentauros]

10. You can keep the favor.

I found Asimov excessively boring and just plain unreadable. Give me A.E. van Vogt, Harry Harrison and Frederick Pohl any day :D

[kick-ass-bob]

11. My dad has this set.

I meant to read them, but now I will make a point of it.

Thanks!

[humankarenball]

15. thanks for this post

Making a trip to the bookstore this weekend and have been looking around online for what to read next. I've read a little Asimov, but not this series.

[Cyrano]

18. Welcome to DU, humankarenball

If you buy the trilogy, try to get well bound copies. They are something you may want to read again in 20 or 30 years.

[WCGreen]

17. I read it about 25 years ago, when I was stabilizing after a decade

of personal debauchery.

It's profound set of books.

[txlibdem]

19. We need to make sure that technology progresses in the proper direction

We can't turn the responsibility for the future over to our "leaders" and especially not to corporations -- we need to not only watch them like a hawk but also to force them to continue to make steps forward toward the future we want to see.

I for one do not want my grandchildren to live in a hellish nightmare world of decades of drought followed by decades of floods, rising seas inundating entire nations (Bangladesh comes to mind), a billion or more people displaced by those and the coming resource wars.

Everyone alive today has to take personal responsibility to ensure that every step toward the future decreases the risks of such a world.