Chapter 9 Chapter 2 The Seldon Plan

Please imagine a room! It doesn't matter where the room is right now, just know that this room is an important part of the second base. For centuries, this room has preserved a pure science—yet the devices, devices, instruments, etc., that for thousands of years have been synonymous with science are completely absent here.For the science preserved here is only theory expressed in mathematical concepts.In the prehistoric primitive age when technology had not yet sprouted, when human beings were still concentrated in a world that is now lost, the meditation conducted by the wise men among the ancestors was actually somewhat similar to the form of this science.

This room is protected by the power of spiritual science.Looking at the galaxy today, not even all the physical forces put together can compete with this spiritual science. There is a relatively conspicuous object in the room - the body of light, which contains all the details of Seldon's plan. In addition, there is one more person in the room - the chief speaker. He was the twelfth Supreme Guardian of the Seldon Project, and the title he held represented what it meant on the surface—he was the first to speak when the leaders of the Second Foundation gathered. His predecessor had defeated the mule, but the legacy of that massive battle still haunted the future of Seldon's plan.For the past twenty-five years, he and the organization he has led have worked to put a galaxy full of stubborn, ignorant humans back on track—a job that is as hard as it gets.

Now the chief speaker looked up at the door that was slowly opening.In this lonely room, he was reviewing his efforts over the past quarter century-now, all this was finally coming to a culmination.Although he was so focused at this time, he still had enough time to wait for the visitor with peace of mind.He is a young disciple, and in the future, one of these disciples will succeed him. The young man was standing at the door in bewilderment at this time, so the chief speaker walked over to him, led him into the room, and stretched out a hand to press his shoulder affectionately. The disciple showed a shy smile, and the chief speaker responded to him: "First, I must tell you the purpose of inviting you here."

They are now sitting across from each other across desks, neither of them actually speaking.They used a method of communication that no one in the galaxy who was not part of the Second Foundation could comprehend or understand. Language is the means by which human beings express their inner thoughts and feelings.It's not something you're born with, you have to go through a learning process, and it's not a perfect way to communicate.The language communication mode established by human beings only uses the combination of various sounds to express the state of mind.However, this method is extremely clumsy, and its ability to express is obviously insufficient. It can only convert the delicate thoughts in the mind into dull sounds from the vocal organs.

When we get to the bottom of it and go deeper, we can find that all the sufferings of human beings can be traced back to the fact that in the history of the galaxy, almost no one can understand the minds of others.The exception, perhaps, was Hari Seldon, and very few after that.Each hides himself in a fog that no one else can penetrate, and in each fog there is only one person.Occasionally, a faint, vague signal emerges from a certain fog, and it is through these signals that human beings feel for each other.However, because they cannot understand each other, they cannot trust and understand each other, so everyone has been in a state of absolute loneliness since childhood, feeling fear and anxiety all the time.If things go on like this, it leads to suspicion and persecution among people.

For hundreds of thousands of years, the human mind has been suppressed for as long as our feet have lumbered through the mud.In fact, the power of the mind has long been able to lead human beings to the sky. In the past, human beings instinctively tried to find ways to break the shackles of language, semantics, symbolic logic, psychoanalysis... The purpose of these studies is to refine language, or even completely abandon ordinary language. Psychohistory is an important development direction of spiritual science.After many generations of effort, the mathematization of the science of the mind has finally been accomplished.In order to understand the physiology and electrochemistry of the nervous system - which must go all the way to the field of nuclear force - the relevant mathematics has also made great progress.Using these latest developments in mathematics, psychology became a true science for the first time: the digitization of sociology was accomplished by extending the knowledge of psychology from individuals to groups.

And larger populations of humans—such as the billions of people on a planet, the trillions of inhabitants in a sector, or even the trillions of people in an entire galaxy—are not just collections of humans, but their activities become Historical trends that can be dealt with statistically.Therefore, for Hari Seldon, the development of history is inevitable, everything in the future is clearly presented, and the preset plan is absolutely feasible. This spiritual scientific basis that led to the development of the Seldon Project also allowed the Second Foundation to transcend language.Therefore, when the chief speaker communicates with his disciples, he does not need to speak at all.

The response of the human mind to a certain stimulus, no matter how weak the bioelectricity caused, can fully display its various internal subtle changes.Thus, the chief speaker is able to directly perceive the emotional content of the disciple.However, his ability is the result of long-term training, not like a mule, born with superhuman sensitivity.The Mule is a unique mutant with abilities beyond the comprehension of ordinary people, not even the people of the Second Foundation can fully grasp. However, in our language-dependent society, it is impossible to express the true way Second Foundation people communicate using only ordinary words.So from now on, we'll just have to pretend to forget about this link and let the chief speaker's message appear as a normal conversation.Even if this "translation" is occasionally distorted, it is the best way to do it when you have to.

From now on, let's assume that the chief speaker is really saying: "First of all, I must tell you the purpose of asking you to come here." Instead of describing the information represented by a smile or a hand movement. Then, the chief speaker said: "You have been working hard to study spiritual science since you were young, and your grades are quite excellent. You have absorbed everything the teacher can teach you. Now, you and several other classmates can become Apprentice speaker." There was a sudden burst of excitement across the desk. "No—you must take this news calmly. You have always hoped to be eligible and feared that you would not be selected. In fact, the emotions of hope and worry are weaknesses. You know that you are qualified, but you dare not Admit it, the fear of coming across as overconfident and therefore unsuitable for the job is ridiculous! The most hopelessly stupid person is someone who is smart but has no self-knowledge. Your confidence in yourself is actually yours. One of the reasons for being selected."

The disciple sitting opposite the desk let out a sigh of relief. "Yes, now your mood is much more relaxed, and your vigilance is also relaxed. Only in this way can you concentrate and understand what I am going to say to you. Remember, you don't need to tense your mind if you want to exert your mental power effectively. Tight. To the Probe, that is an empty state of mind. Besides, you should develop a state of innocence, a sense of self, a sense of selflessness, like any emotion There is nothing to hide from. My heart is now open to you, let us both achieve this." Then he went on to say: "Being a speaker is not easy. In fact, being a psychohistorian is not easy, but even the best psychohistorian is not necessarily qualified to be a speaker. Both There is a difference. The speaker must not only understand the complex mathematical structure of Seldon's plan, but must also empathize with the plan and its purpose; love the plan and make it his life. It counts as a living best friend. Do you know what that is?"

The chief speaker's hand rose and stroked a shiny black cube in the center of the desk—an unremarkable object. "Don't know, speaker, I don't know." "Have you heard of Yuanguang body?" "Is this it?" The voice was full of surprise. "You think it should look nobler and more awe-inspiring, don't you? Well, no wonder. It is a product of the age of the Empire, made by craftsmen in the time of Seldon. For nearly four hundred years, it has performed extremely well. Perfect, never needing repairs or adjustments. This can be regarded as our luck, because no one at the second base understands its construction and principle in terms of technology." He smiled slightly, and said, "the first base People might have a way of making a copy of one, but of course they must never know about it." He pressed a lever next to the desk, and the room was plunged into darkness. But after a moment, the large walls on both sides gradually lit up.At first it was pearly white light, then blurred shadows appeared here and there, and finally the shadows condensed into clear and neat black characters.Those fonts formed countless mathematical equations, interspersed with many meandering red lines, as if they were blood-colored rivers in the dark forest. "Come here, child, and stand in front of the wall. Your shadow will not be reflected on the wall. The way the primordial light radiates is very special. To tell you the truth, I have no idea how this effect works, but I'm sure , your shadow will not appear on the wall." Together they stand in the light.The two walls were exactly the same size, ten feet high and thirty feet wide, covered with tiny print so densely that there was not an inch of space between them. "This is not the whole of Seldon's plan," said the chief speaker. "If the whole plan is to be written on these two walls, the equations must be scaled down to a scale invisible to the naked eye—but it is not necessary. What you see now, Represents the major parts of Seldon's plan so far, you've learned them all, haven't you?" "Yes, speaker, I have learned it all." "Can you identify any part of it?" After a short silence, the disciple raised his hand.When he pointed his finger at the wall, the series of equations moved down at the same time, until the function series he had in mind moved in front of him.It's incredible how precise a single quick and inadvertent movement of a finger can be. The chief speaker let out a chuckle: "You will find that the primordial light body can tune with your mind. In the future, you will find that this small device has more unexpected functions. What do you think about the equation you have chosen? ?” The disciple hesitated and said: "This is the Regal integral, which uses the distribution of psychological tendencies of the entire planet, as well as the unstable emotional model, to represent the two main economic classes that exist on the planet——its scope can also be expanded to the entire planet. Area." "And what is its significance?" "It represents the limit of tension, because here—" The disciple stretched out his finger, and many equations were simultaneously many equations were simultaneously many equations were simultaneously many equations were being simultaneously many equations being simultaneously. " "Very well," said the chief speaker, "now tell me how you feel about the result—a perfect masterpiece, isn't it?" "Absolutely!" "Wrong! That's not the case." The chief speaker's tone suddenly became extremely severe, "This is the first concept you must correct. The Seldon Plan is actually neither complete nor 100% correct. On the contrary, it is just what we The best that can be done. A dozen generations of ancestors have worked on it—studying these equations, breaking them down to the smallest detail, and putting them back together again. Apart from In addition, they also watched the historical development of nearly 400 years, compared these developments with the predictions of the equations, checked the authenticity of the equations, and learned a lot of new knowledge from them.” "As a result, they learned a lot of things that Seldon didn't know. The knowledge accumulated over the centuries not only allows us to re-export Seldon's results, but even better than he did back then. This, Can you fully understand it?" The disciple looked a little stunned. "Before you have the right to speak," continued the Chief Speaker, "you yourself must have made an original contribution to Seldon's plan. This is no blasphemy against Seldon, in fact every red mark on the wall, Amendments and additions made on behalf of speakers after Seldon. Ummm..." He looked up and said, "There." The entire wall seemed to spiral down immediately, covering the two of them as a hood. "This part," he said, "is my problem." The piece he was pointing to was two different arrows surrounded by a red circle, with six square feet of mathematical derivation next to each arrow, and a large series of mathematical derivations in between. Red equation.The chief speaker added: "It looks like nothing, it describes the future development. Although the Seldon plan has been going on for so long, even if the time is doubled, this situation will not appear. That is A period of consolidation, when the Second Empire was formed, but in the hands of two rival powers. If the two were evenly matched, the empire might be divided; Too tightly. Both possibilities have been considered here, and have been explained in detail, and methods of avoiding both have been pointed out." "However, this is a matter of chance, so there is a third possible outcome. This outcome is very unlikely - the exact number is 126.4 per thousand - but even if the corresponding Events with a small probability have happened in the past, and the Seldon plan is only 40% completed. The third possibility is that two or more hostile forces reached a compromise at that time. According to my deduction , this outcome would have plunged the Second Empire into an unproductive mode that would eventually lead to civil war. This development would have been more damaging to the Empire than would have been the case without compromise. Fortunately, this too was avoidable, and this That's my personal contribution." "Excuse me for interrupting, speaker—how does the correction work?" "Using the primordial light body as a medium. For example, taking yourself as an example, your mathematical derivation will be strictly reviewed by five councils, and then in the oral examination, they will unanimously attack you mercilessly, and you must one by one Come up with a satisfactory explanation. After two years, your results will be reviewed again. It has happened more than once in the past that a theory that seemed to be flawless has been tested for months or years. are discovered. Sometimes, the inventors themselves discover." "The second oral exam after two years will never be easier than the first one. If you still pass, your results will become part of Seldon's plan. If during this period, you can discover more Details, supporting evidence, etc., would be even more ideal. I regard this as the highest achievement in my life, and you will have this honor in the future." "The original light body can be adjusted to match your soul, and all corrections and supplements can be carried out through spiritual integration. However, the corrections and supplements you make will not leave your name anywhere. In the implementation of the plan In the history of the individual there is no individual, it is our collective work. Can you understand?" "I understand, Speaker!" "Okay, enough talking about this." He strode up to the Yuanguang body, and all the images on the wall disappeared in an instant, leaving only the indoor lighting from the top. "Come to my desk and let me say a few more words to you. It is enough for a psychohistorian to know Biostatistics and Neurochemical Electromathematics. Many psychohistorians only Proficient in both sciences, he can only serve as a statistical technician. Yet as a speaker, he must be able to discuss the Seldon plan in ordinary language, without mentioning mathematics at all. Even if he cannot talk about the content of the plan in this way, At least be able to discuss the purpose of the project and its philosophical implications." "First of all, I would like to ask you, what is the purpose of Seldon's plan? Please answer me in your own words, don't stick to words. I assure you, your rhetoric and tone are not within the scope of scoring." This was the first time the disciple had the opportunity to speak freely, and he hesitated before launching into a tirade, and then said in a less confident tone: "Based on what I have learned, I believe that the intention of Seldon's plan is to Establish a new civilization, and the foundation of this civilization has never appeared in the past history. According to the calculation results of psychohistory, this kind of development orientation is absolutely impossible to appear on its own..." "Stop!" the chief speaker emphasized. "You can't use the word 'absolutely'. That's a lazy and irresponsible statement. In fact, psychohistory can only predict chance. A particular event may Very unlikely to happen, but the odds are always greater than zero." "Yes, speaker, please allow me to amend my answer just now—as you all know, the chances of this developmental orientation appearing on its own are quite small." "It's much better to put it that way. And what is this orientation?" "It is a civilization based on spiritual science. Throughout all known human history, the main progress has been physical technology, that is to say, the ability of human beings to control the inanimate things around them. As well as the control of society, relying on random exploration, or an ethical system based on inspiration, intuition, and emotion. As a result, in the past history of mankind, there has never been a civilization with a stability greater than 55% , which can be said to be the great misfortune of mankind.” "Why is it that the orientation we're talking about hardly ever arises by itself?" "Because among the elites of mankind, most of them only have the potential to develop the physical sciences, and they have indeed achieved some rough achievements. There are only a very small number of people who are naturally suitable for the study of spiritual sciences, and only they can develop for mankind. The field of spiritual science. Although the contributions of these people can last longer, but the theories they put forward are too mysterious and obscure. Moreover, this orientation will lead to a person with the highest spiritual power-in fact, a higher one. Human beings—the ruling class constituted by ordinary people will definitely be dissatisfied with it, so their rule cannot be stable. Unless they exert their spiritual power and reduce all ordinary people to animals. Such a development is something we never want to see , and must therefore be avoided." "Then what is the solution?" "The solution is the Seldon Plan. This plan arranges and maintains all kinds of favorable conditions, so that after the millennium of the plan-that is, in another six hundred years-the Second Galactic Empire will rise, and at the same time, mankind will Already able to accept the leadership of spiritual science. In the millennium, through the development of spiritual science, the Second Foundation will train a group of psychologists who are ready to take over the leadership of this empire. I often think, maybe So to speak - the First Foundation established the physical structure of a unified regime, the Second Foundation provided the spiritual structure of the ruling class." "Very good, the answer is quite complete. Even in the era that Seldon expected, there will really be a Second Empire. Do you think it will be able to truly realize his ideal?" "No, speaker, I don't think so. In the nine hundred to seventeen hundred years since the plan began, several Second Empires may have emerged, but only one of them will be the real 'Second Empire.'" "For that matter, why should the existence of the Second Base be kept secret—especially from the First Base?" The disciple tried to find out the meaning of this question, but found nothing, so he answered with great difficulty: "Just as the details of the whole plan must be kept secret from human beings. The laws of psychohistory are statistical in nature. If the individual's response is not random, then psychohistory will be invalid; if a large group of people know the main content of Seldon's plan, their reactions will be affected by it, and the random conditions in the postulates of psychohistory will no longer be met. In other words, psychohistory It is no longer possible to accurately predict their behavior. Sorry, speaker, I am not satisfied with such an answer myself." "Fortunately, you are self-aware, and your answer is quite incomplete. In fact, it is the Second Foundation that must be hidden, not just the Seldon Plan. The Second Empire has not yet been formed, and today's human society still cannot accept psychologists. The ruling class will therefore fear the establishment of the Second Empire and will revolt. Can you understand this?" "Yes, speaker, I understand. But the teacher never emphasized..." "Don't underestimate this point. Although the teachers never mentioned it in class, you should be able to draw this conclusion yourself. From now on, during your probationary period, apart from this point, we There are many similar problems that need to be studied carefully. I will give you a topic now, and come to see me in a week. When I come next time, I want to hear your experience report. I don’t want you to do a complete and rigorous mathematical derivation, even if It would take a year for an expert, and you can't do it in a week. However, I would like you to mention the tendency and direction of development..." "Look here, about half a century ago, there was a fork in the Seldon plan. The probability of this change happening is less than ten in a thousand, and the necessary details are in it. You will find that if you develop according to this path If this continues, all events will deviate from the original plan. I want you to estimate how long the development of this deviation will make the whole plan irreversible. By the way, if it is irreversible, what will be the final possible result? And come up with a reasonable remedy." The disciple flipped the reading mirror casually, staring blankly at the content on the small screen. Then the disciple asked: "Why should I study this question, speaker? It obviously has other meanings besides a purely academic discussion." "Thank you, my boy, and you're a quick learner, as I expected. The question is not hypothetical - about half a century ago the mule burst onto the stage of galactic history, and within a decade or so, He was the biggest single event in the universe. The mule wasn't in the picture, we weren't prepared for him, and he wreaked havoc on Seldon's plan, luckily not to the point of failure." "However, in order to stop him before he could wreak havoc, we were forced to actively fight him, thus exposing our presence and, worse, part of our capabilities. First Base Knowing our existence from now on, and the actions they will take in the future can be predicted based on this fact. Take a closer look at the problem before you—here, and here.” "Of course, you must not reveal this to anyone." The disciple finally realized the seriousness of the problem, which horrified him.After a long silence, he said again: "Then the Seldon plan has failed!" "Not yet, it's just that it might fail. According to the latest estimate, the chance of the plan's success is 214 out of 1,000."