Correction - In the video essay I mention Hernán Cortés' and the Mayans. It was actually the Aztecs he invaded. If this mistake doesn't put you off the other episodes are at the links below: Foundation - Summary and Review: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-hL94C7GhFdM.html Foundation - Analysis and Critique: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-UdGqXB4Valk.html
This was so well-thought out it deserves a much wider audience than it has received. My hope is that's merely because it's so new at the time of this comment. I'm doing what I can to rectify that. I hadn't thought of it the way you put it, but today's sci-fi could definitely use demonstration of the best of the scientific method and the thinking that goes along with it. Not that I mind a fun romp like Star Wars. But there's something to be said for valuing and lifting up critical thinking, especially in a genre that takes part of its name from one of the main disciplines you might associate it with. Well critiqued and argued :) I came hoping to appreciate Asimov more. I got that and more for the price of the ticket. Thanks for all the work you put into this!
"It's not necessary to do good, It's just necessary for use to stop doing evil" It's such a profound and sad statement to make even this far after his death, feels like this idea will never change and never be practiced...
Relevant essay, daring multiple angles on the topics of Assimov's writing - and even exercising self-reflection in regard to the role of social media towards popular culture. Maybe James S. A. Corey's 'The Expanse' would have been worth mentioning when discussing plausible science based story-telling that also takes _critical_ historical experience into account e.g. when technology progresses faster than people can stand to adapt to and societies become too complex, to be manageable with discourse - or even at all - resulting in the _cycles_ of historical civilizations, _classical_ storytelling is known for since Homer's 'Illiad'.
Outstanding analysis and investigation. I adore all of Asimov’s fiction writing. He was a brilliant person. Glad I found your channel! I think more people will come across this after the Foundation series comes out. Great job!
Thanks for this asimov series - it's so interesting. I had to go read the foundation trilogy between watching the first vid and the second two - I'm so glad I did. I'll be checking out the other books you mentioned too. Also, the creator of the Traveller roleplaying game, Marc Miller, cited foundation as an inspiration for the traveller universe back in the 70s. It's popular now, as rpgs go, and still has new content coming out.
I'm reading the series now and am constantly struck by things that are clearly then referenced by Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, as if the Foundation's galaxy is the 'straight man' to its comedy. The reference to Encyclopedia Galactica is most obvious.
I haven't read any other comments, so am clueless as to whether this has been pointed out already or not...BUT, there's a reference to Cortes and his dealings with the Mayans. This is very inaccurate. Cortes had if any, very little interaction with the Mayans. Cortes' campaigns were against the Mexica, otherwise known as the Aztecs. Please correct this if possible. It is a blemish on what is generally an engaging and thoughtful presentation concerning Asimov's masterpiece. Cheers.
Damn, I'd just finished a documentary on him too. Just a very clumsy error on my part. I can't edit the video after it's been uploaded but I'll leave a note in the description.
That interview in the last bit of the video is why i freaking love this man, all of those ideals and morals he leaves very clearly in most of his work, we need a sustainable wolrd order
Thank you so much for your 3 videos on Foundation original trilogy. I think you did an amazing job in setting the tone, discussing the story, given highlights of the themes surrounding the franchise and here giving a bit more information about Asimov himself. I recently was able to read the original trilogy so it's been very enlightening to get additional context and analysis of its content. I would be extremely curious to see if one day you may explore the Apple TV+ show made from the Foundation, especially because it seems to go so far away from the original books. Thanks again for the videos you made!
Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed them! I hadn't watched the tv show at the time of making these videos, but I've watched it since. I'm generally pretty open to Hollywood tweaking source material, but the show so far has somewhat missed the point of the series/Asimov's work. Seems like they just wanted the brand name of Foundation to attach a large franchise budget to. That said, I do actually enjoy some elements of the show on its own merits, and generally speaking I look forward to season 3. I may make a video about it someday, but I'd like to cover the other books first.
Today a professor, who read these book fifty years ago, is developing future history; he predicted 2020, being chaotic! 8 years ago. Peter Turchin is a Russian-American evolutionary anthropologist, specializing in cultural evolution and cliodynamics-mathematical modeling and statistical analysis of the dynamics of historical societies! "Too many elites, their competition for wealth and power, destroy societies." He's got the educational background!
@@ContentLitwithSimonFay I love it. It's(in part) kind of an alternate history drama/procedural about the space race. Basically what if the Russians landed on the Moon first, and as a result the Space Race never ended. I think it's right up your alley.
