Previous
Part 5, Chapter 18
Themes and Colors
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Foundation, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Historical Forces vs. Individual Effort
Foundation examines the influence that individual people have in effecting change and shaping history. The novel centers on mathematician Hari Seldon, who develops a field of science called psychohistory, which combines history, sociology, and statistical analysis to predict large-scale societal trends. Seldon’s calculations predict the inevitable demise of the Galactic Empire—followed by 30,000 years of chaos and darkness—but they also suggest that implementing certain large-scale, societal changes can reduce the span of this…
read analysis of Historical Forces vs. Individual Effort
Religion as a Tool of Control
Foundation presents religion as a pragmatic tool for societal control rather than a spiritual enterprise. This is first evident when the Foundation establishes a priesthood that ties advanced technology to divine power. These “priests” serve as intermediaries between the Foundation and less technologically advanced planets, such as Anacreon, one of the Four Kingdoms that seceded from the crumbling Galactic Empire. By presenting technology like nuclear power as divine miracles, the Foundation ensures that these planets…
read analysis of Religion as a Tool of Control
Crisis and Adaptation
Crises in Foundation are pivotal moments that force societies and leaders to innovate and adapt. These crises, known as Seldon Crises, are inflection points that mathematician Hari Seldon predicted using the field he created: psychohistory. Each crisis presents an existential threat that the Foundation, the organization formed in response to Seldon’s predictions, must rethink its strategies to overcome. For example, the Foundation’s conflict with the Four Kingdoms, which formed after the Empire’s collapse in…
read analysis of Crisis and Adaptation
Get the entire Foundation LitChart as a printable PDF.
Power and Governance
Foundation repeatedly contrasts the Foundation’s dynamic, adaptable leadership with the Empire’s rigid, decaying system of control to examine the nature of power and governance. The Galactic Empire, at the start of the novel, represents a static model of governance rooted in tradition and grandeur. Its leaders cling to hierarchical systems that prioritize displays of power over practical governance. For instance, on the planet Siwenna—a former imperial stronghold—the viceroy wields massive military resources but fails to…
read analysis of Power and Governance
