Article #67
Subject: Index of people,places, and terms in his novels
Author: Andrew W. Harrell
Posted: 5/28/2011 02:46:28 PM

Foundation, Empire, and Robotic Novels
Glossary/and Cast of Characters
Being an index of some of Isaac’s Asimov’s people, places, terms in his
Foundation Series of Science Fiction Novels

Isaac Asimov 1920-1992

Pelleas Anthor*** Young man, student of Kleise (a former student of Dr.
Darell) sent to deliver a briefcase (containing records of several minor
officials on Anacrean) to Dr. Darell on Kalgan. His brain level had been
raised to the 5th level. 2FIISF


Aerie An ancient Mycogen word that means “dwelling place on high” PF

Alpha First planetary system explored from earth (possibly the same as Alpha
Centauri) F&E

Allwhen --- A term (along with “upwhen”) signifying a philosophic viewpoint
in space time. It is used by time travelers to focus one’s mind on the
reality into which one is transiting…When is it? It is when the “all” “in
time” has been accounted for. In fact God’s omni-nescience and omni-potence
in us (the presence of His Holy Spirit) always depends on the pre-
establishment of His omni-presence…
Allwhen council Governing body of time traveler technicians EE

Achaotic psychohistory equations A series of mathematical formulas in
psychohistory which separate out the more predictable classical Newtonian
differential equations of physics which model the system from the part of the
mathematical dynamics which is more statistical, more probabilistic and hence
more sensitive to small changes in initial conditions. FF

Gleb Andorin Jorandum agent working for the empire FFC

Bel Arvardan Empire archaeologist who lands on earth PS

Corwin Attlebish Solarian security chief who replaced Gruier in the Naked
Sun NS

Yugo Amaryl A mathematician heat-sinker in the Dahl sector of Trantor lifted
out of this world to become an assistant in helping Hari Seldon develop his
theory of psychohistory. PF FFED

Anacreon A far off world near the edge of the Galaxy where life is sweet
(home of gardener Gruber) FFC

Aurora A mythical world (a term used on the planet Dahl) thought to be
earth, the world of origin of galactic settlement PF

Sarton Bander Solarian on Aurora F&E

Elijah Bailey Police detective and partner/companion to R. Daniel Olivaw in
the investigation of a murder in one of the outworlds (Solaria) F&E
Jezebel (or ‘Jessie’) Bailey wife of Elijah, named for her Biblical
counterpart, the greatest enemy of Elijah in the Bible. CS


Billiboton A place in the Dahl sector PF FFED

Roger Benastra Chief Seismologist at Steeling University on Trantor PF

Ducem Barr –Siwennan trader, patrician of the Empire FEIG

Terep Bindris Official at the Galactic Library in Trantor. FF

Harla Branno 2nd Foundationer, Mayor of T FED

Ammel Brodrig- Favorite of Cleon II, envoy of his imperial majesty FEIG

Bail Channis Worked, along with Gen. (Cpt.) Pritcher for the Mule on Kalgin
He was sent to search for the 2nd Foundation by the Mule. He is however a 2nd
Foundation agent. 2FSM


Cinna A planet that Dor Venabili came from PF

Committee on Public Safety – Established two years before 1 F.E. after the
assassination of Cleon I
FIP

Susan Calvin Robopsychologist who investigates several malfunctioning
robots in I, Robot

Cleon II Lord of the Galatic Empire’s Universe FEIG

Jord Comasson- The largest landowner on Neo-Trantor

Klorissa Cantoro Assistant to Dr. Demarre, the murder victum in the Naked
Sun NS

Hidden Centuries Those areas of human history which the time travelers
haven’t been able to learn about and affect the reality of. EE

Cheng A speaker of the 2nd Foundation.

Munn Li Compor 2nd Foundation councilman on Trantor FED

Brinsley Sheridan Cooper A cub time traveler whom Andrew Harlan advises in
his capacity as a Technician Cooper takes on the name of Vikkor Mallansohn a
recluse in the California woods after the
Death of th latter. EE

Clowiza—student coworker at Steeling University of Leggen

Comporrllon world of the ancestors of Compor, thought to be a possible
candidate planet
To help in discovering where earth is.

Cub A beginning time travelling rank. After ten years as a cub one can
become an observer, and only after that a specialist and true eternal. EE

Arcadia Darell Daughter of Bayta Darell living on Kalgan 2FIISF
Dr. Toran Darell Father of Arcadia, husband of Bayta


Bayta Darell,Fran,Randu and Toran Darell—Foundation trader descendants of
Mallow [Bayta] and others. Fran is the father of Toran, his half brother is
Randu Bayta is an agent of Ebling Mis Toran is the crown prince of the Empire
under Dagobert “Bayta” is also the name of spaceship they are travelling on
FEIIM

Dagobert IX Ruler of twenty worlds, Emperor of the Galaxy, Lord of the
Empire. FEIIM

Dahl An ancient sector of the planet Trantor PF

Delora Delarmi Speaker of the 2nd Foundation

Gladia Delmarre Wife of the murdered Solarian in the Naked Sun. Also
involved in the robots of dawn story. Bailey proves she is using some of the
robots for her own purposes. NS RD

Dr. Rikane Delmarre Murder victum in the Naked Sun NS

Vasil Deniador Someone on Comporellon knowledgeable about the “old ones”. FE

Eto Demerzel -- Chief of Staff of the Emperor Cleon, his brain and alter ego
PF FFED

Lathan Devers A Foundation trader –FEIG

Deviation Blue,Red,Black --Deviations from the Seldon Plan, computed from
projecting (starting the calculations with given data) the Prime Radiant in a
certain direction.

Dom Endomandiovizamarondeyaso A Gaian living on what remains on the surface
of what remains of the earth planet.

Gaal Dormund A mathematician/psychohistorian who lives in Trantor where the
Galactic council meets.
He wrote a biography of Hari Seldon and was on his staff. …FIP

Lord Dorwin Chancellor of the Empire.

Downwhen A direction in time which time travelers use back towards the
beginning of a historical memoir. Its opposite is upwhen. EE.


Manella Dubanqua Female agent sent to manage Seldon’s son Raych FFC

Electro-Clarifier A device developed to remove mental/psychic obstacles in
order to improve the performance of the Prime Radiant as a guide for those
trying to understand their psychohistory life profiles . FF

Lord Ennius Procurator, from the Empire of earth PS

Empire – The current ruling group of the Galaxy that opposes the Foundation.--
-FIP As the Empire rotted it developed into a band of independent “kings”.
The Foundation was threatened by them --FEIG

Tanwile Elar Senior Mathmatician Assistant to Hari Seldon in his
psychohistory project. He was killed by the robot assistant Dors Venabili
(and thus violating her robot laws programming). FF

Ecological Balance A principle required to be followed when exploring new
planets. It stems for tendency for civilizations to be sensitive to be easily
upset by the introduction of small changes from outside alien planets into
their ambient environments.

First Speaker of the 2nd Foundation Authorized representative who has
knowledge of the Prime Radiant

Foundations’s Four Kingdoms – A lost Kingdom of Scientific Priests
They follow the authority of Hari Seldon
1) Anacrea –Largest and most powerful …broke away from the first Empire
FIP
2) Loris-- part of the inner line of defense FEIG


Sennet Forell, That Forell Distant relatives of the trader Hober Mallow --FEIG

Second Foundation – The 2nd of Hari Seldon’s foundations, one at each end of
the galaxy. Foundation 1 is the world of physical scientists, Foundation 2 a
world of mental scientists FEIIM

Gaia Earth, Before they found it considered by the 2 Foundations to be a raw
nerve in the Galaxy, beyond the pentagon of five stars (A little brother of
the Five Sisters?), perhaps a world of Mules. Afterwards, a world of robots
without individual consciousnesses, who were created by an earthly race and
given a desire to serve individual humans but without any individual free
will identities themselves****.FED
Eskel Gorov – A Trader FIVT

The planet Florina Planet in the Trantorian Galactic empire where above it
the Squires of Sark live in unimaginable wealth. CS

Han Fastolfe In charge of the investigation of the murder of Dr. Sarton from
the Spacer end. Also, he was involved when Elijah Bailey tries to find out
about the robotcide on Aurora CS RD

Fallon Robot son of Sarton Bander who accompanies J. Perlorat, Trevise, Bliss
in the search for earth F&E

Finangelos A political speaker for Jorandum on Trantor. FFED

Sunmaster Fourteen Religious leader of Mycogen FFED

Golden Rule of the 2nd Foundation—“Do nothing unless you must, and when you
must act, hesitate.”
FED



Encylopedia Galatica ---When Dr. Asimov conceived it, it could have been
thinking about the Talmud or the Torah*+. Now, we have
http://www.wikepedia.org, hopefully just as good. Slowly the Foundation
developed a trading economy as the influence of the Encylopedia wained.—FEIG
FF

Stor Gendibal- 2nd Foundation Speaker who trained in Trantor’s Galactic
University.

Gilmer A rebel to Dagobert when he was ruling Trantor
Magnifico Giganticus Clown to the Mule, agent of Ebling Mis, the Mule in
disguise?

Les Gorm – A Trader FIVT

The Grand Master – A Trader FIVT

Greycloud 5 Tribesman on Helicon in the Mycogen sector PF

Hannis Gruer Head of Solarian security, murdered while investigating the
case that Bailey and Olivaw were sent to solve NS.

Mandel Gruber Chief gardener to the empirer Cleon 1 FFC

Hamish Native people on Trantor where the 2nd Foundation was located FED

Hiroku Pretty native of Alpha who shows Trevize and Peloret around. F&E

Hyper-relay A high tech tracking device placed in/on spaceships to follow
them through hyperspace.

Hyper-jump A means of traveling faster than light through the Galaxy. After
several centuries of travel the technology was perfected until the possibly
of making several hyper-jumps along a route made Galactic Travel much faster.


Jorandum (Jo-jo) A populist contentor for the throne on Trantor. FFED

Andrew Harlan --- Time traveler trainee who gets mixed up with someone from
another philosophy of what reality and time and space is. EE

Salvor Hardin He rose to power after the Anacrean revolt. FIIE,FIIIM

Heatsinks Places on Dahl where the internal heat of a planet is used to
produce stream and electricity.


Helicon-- planet Hari Seldon was from PF FFED

Chetter Hummin—a journalist Hari Seldon met on Trantor who wanted him for his
predictive powers and took him in an anti-gravity lift to D-7 and Steeling
University (to get away from Cleon) PF

Standard Intertemporal A standard of measuring the distance between to
historical events in time convenient for use by time traveller’s to keep
track of things. See also the definition of physioyears. EE

Inchney Squire to Lord Comasson, agent to Han Prichter

Jet-down Not a hypership or even an ordinary air-ship which operated by
expelling anti-gravity ion trails from the vertices of an hexagon

Kaspal Kaspalov Conspirator with the Joranumites. FFC

Kettle Capsule for space-time travel which moves up and down in a space-
time calibrated column of an enclosed sky-ladder route upwhen (sic not “up
wind” but “up when”) from the time-travellers headquarters (co-located with
the apartments, time travelling “déjà vu” quantum computer and the allwhen
council room). EE

Leono Kodell Head of Security to Mayor Branno on Trantor FE

Book of Lameth –adds new knowledge to the creation story.

Jothan Leebig-- Robotist who worked with Dr. Delmarre and who wanted to
conquer the Galaxy. NS

Jenarr Leggen Meteorologist at Steeling University

Leopold I – King of Anacrean

Yohan Lee—A mayor in the Foundation -FIIIM

Endor Levanian pilot of the airjet taking Hari Seldon through the Mycogen
sector to Helicon PF

Mannix A mayor (speaker) of the ancient sector of Wye on Trantor. His
daughter, who is also a mayor, is named Rashelle. PF


Ebling Mis A mathematical psychologist, lives on Terminus

Noys Lambent A women who Andrew Harlan falls in love with during the End of
Eternity. EE

Judge Tejan Popjens Lih Judge in charge of the hearing of Raven Seldon and
Settin Palver who were charged with assaulting some hoodlums in order to
protect Wanda Seldon. FF

The Lens – A new feature of Galactic Cruisers which allowed 3-D views of
local stars in the Galaxy and which generated simulated tracks through the
views in order to search and plan routes. 2FSM

Mitza Lizalor minister of transportation on Comprellon FE

Lev Meirus First Minister to Lorn Stettin

M.D.R Maximun desired response Greatest change which can occur in the time-
space reality if the M.N.C
Is made in the other variables. EE

M.N.C. Minimum necessary change …a mathematical term signifying how much
change in a certain
Variable in the equations modeling time travel events. If reality is changed
by the time traveler without enough thought there is always the possibility
of creating a paradox and hence being transited to an alternate reality path
in which eternity does not exist. An example of an M.N.C would be an
adverstisement placed in a newspaper that a participant in the change might
be expected to read. The advertisement would contain information that only
someone who had been to the future could recognize (eg. A picture of a
nuclear explosion mushroom cloud placed in a U.S. newspaper before 1945 or
the part of or reference to a name of a person he had already meet in the
future, a license plate on an automobile with a particular meaning to a time-
travel participant, or money or coins from the distant past or future that
contained significant references to events likely to happen in the present)
Hence a time-traveller reading and looking at the copy in the ad would
immediately know it was a message sent through time to warn or inform him or
her of something he needed to do in order to achieve the M.D.R.) EE



Hober Mallow – A Master Trader of Smyro FIVM The first of the Foundation’s
Merchant Princes. Developed the techniques of economic warfare until they
defeated the Republic of Korell. FEIG


Mallansohn Circle of Truth A closed loop in space-time in which small
changes have been added to Reality (inside of The Primitive) in order to
empower a particular person with knowledge of time-travel.

Gennaro Mummery Leader of that part of the board of the Galactic Library in
Trantor that wanted to close it down. FF

Mycellium 72 A native tribesman historian on Mycogen



Mule A solder of fortune of immense physical strength and stubbornness of
purpose who took over Kalgan, then Terminus, leaving only the independent
traders to represent the Foundation. A sterile mutant, he is said to have
superhuman psychic powers of intuition that allow him to succeed by entering
into others spirits and controlling their emotions with his visi-sonar
(possibly Asimov has in mind the appearance of the extended nation of
Israel , using an allegory, as a mule wandering in the desert…reference the
book of Numbers*)

MSD mental static device. A device used to counteract psychic probes by
generating a shield of mental noise FED


Homur Munn 2nd Foundationer librarian who has collected data on the Mule.
After, the Great Sack (take over of the Foundation by the Empire) the 2nd
Foundationers buried themselves like mule as librarians on Trantor 2FIISF FED

Mycogen A sector on the planet Trantor PF FFED

Neuronic whip or ‘blaster’ An advanced weapon developed in the first part of
the 21st century which shocks and immobilizes by using quantum fields to
affect neural circuits in the brain (as opposed to those developed in the
1980s and 1990s which shocks and immobilizes by passing electrical or
magnetic currents through the more material psychic pathways of the
autonomic nervous system in our physical bodies). EE

Life Plotter a technician in the time traveler bureau who charts the recorded
past, experienced present, and future expected details of a person’s life. EE

Bliss Nobiarella A Gaian robot left in a space station orbiting earth who is
in charge (as much as anybody who is part of a rule by group consciousness)
of Gaia/Earth and who greets the 1st and 2nd Foundationers when they arrive.

Observer A time travelling rank one goes through after becoming a
technician. EE

Positronic brain An advance in the design of robotic neural networks
achieved on earth. All robotic positronic brains were created to obey
the “three laws of robotics” (see below). Also, positronic brains
Have certain psychic powers (probably due to advances in understanding of how
the laws of quantum psychics interact which neural cells synapsical chemistry
that allow enhanced mental telepathy powers in such brains).

Gambol Deen Namarti Jorandum’s right hand man FFED

Nishaya World which was part of the pre-imperial Kingdom of Trantor FFED

Sura Nova, A young Hammish woman who rescues Stor Gentibal on Trantor and is
part of the Gaian plot of the robots to bring the 2nd foundation to Gaia so
they can help fulfill their 1st law commission to always help humans.

R. Daniel Olivaw R. stands for Robot. He was left in charge of the Galaxy
for 20,000 years by humans. He assumes the forms of Hummin (as a robot Da-Ne)
and Demerzel to protect Hari Seldon from harm in order to obey the zeroth law
of robotics (see below for definitions of the laws of robotics). FED F&E

Stettin Palver Bodyguard to Hari Seldon in Forward the Founation. His
descendant Preem would 400 years later contribute to the founding of the 2nd
foundation. FF

Janov Pelorat 1st Foundationer Historian at the Terminus University Galactic
Library FED

Captain Han Pricther Intelligence agent for Mayor Indbur of Haven. He directs
Foundation activity on Kalgan posing as a retired merchant mariner

Lewis Pirrene – An encylopedist on Terminus.(chairman of the Board of
Trustees)

Jander Panell -- A robot on the planet Aurora whose murder Elijah Bailey is
sent to investigate in the Robots of Dawn RD

Preem Palver First speaker of the 2nd Foundation. Papa who, along with mama
(Laday Callia) abducted Arcadia Darell from Kalgan 2FIISM


Limarr Ponyetts – A Trader FIVT

The Primitive That regionpart of physiotime in which time travel has not yet
been discovered by humanity. EE

Psychohistory – Dealt with mobs not man. The reaction of one man could not be
forecast but the reaction of a billion could. The mathematics of
psychohistory is explained by Asimov in a reference to an article by
The Stanford psychologist Roger Shepard in a September 1987 article of the
journal Science.

“A psychological space is is established for any set of stimuli by
determining metric distances between the stimuli such that the probability of
a response learned to any stimuli will generalize to any other is an
invariant montonic (strictly increasing or decreasing) function of the
distance between them…”

Physioyears Years in time with the passage of time measured according to
material space-time coordinates. (see also standard intertemporal time). It
is marked out in terms of centuries, decicenturies,
And centicenturies. For the purpose of psychohistory and time-travel “human
physiotime” can be divided into four parts A,B,C,D. In part A there have been
no encounters in this part of human history with eternals either from the
viewpoint of the eternals or the pre-eternals with those having conscious
knowledge of the possibility of time-travel. In part B there have been some
encounters in which the observer A can see B,C (eternals and non-eternals)
while B and C cannot see each other.. In parts C and D, A sees B while B does
not see A, and that A and B see one another. EE

Sotayn. Quintesetz Abt (S.Q.) In the Department of Ancient History on
Sayshell

Anselmo Quemot Solarian Sociologist in the Naked Sun NS

Quantum Computers as Time Machines. The next step in computing (discovered
in the first half of the 21st century of human evolution after a book being
written on it by Richard Feynmann in the 1970s). They utilize logic gates
based on quantum fields in micro-materials (as opposed to the first tradition
digital computers which utilize logic gates based on electrical-magnetic
fields in wires and materials). Because the computing search algorithms based
on quantum physics can solve problems in much larger and non-temporal(more
complex) search spaces, by the definition of what a computer is
(Data+Control+Algorithms) time travel becomes possible mentally (and hence
spiritually and materially). EE

Lisung Randa An instructor in psychology at Steeling University (from the
home planet Hopara)

Raindrop 43 and 45 Sister Tribewomen on Mycogen

Raych Adopted son from Billiboton of Hari Seldon PF FFED

Reality Change Reality has been defined by Stephen Hawking as “that which
kicks back” ie that which we can know that there will be an effect if we try
and change it. See also several pages of related metaphysical definitions
elsewhere in this website. EE

Mother Rittah Lived in Billiboton PF

Haut Rodric – A representative on Terminus of the King of Anacrean.

Rossem – Planet encountered while search for Tazenda and the 2nd Foundation.
Possibly it is Tazenda itself and the 2nd Foundationer’s control it by
psychically controlling its inhabitants.

Karoll Ruffiant A Hamish farmer on Trantor that Stor Gendibal meets. FED

Radiation virus A virus which uses radiation to infect neural synapses.
According to Asimov, most of the human race on earth was destroyed by it
shortly after 1949.

Prime Radiant Initial beam of light (containing knowledge, experience, and
equations of knowledge) from which the 2nd Foundationers generate knowledge
Of the Seldon plan in an individual (and which they carry with them always).
The means by which psychohistory can be computed. In time-travel the Prime
radiant is the starting beam of power downwhen generating the MNC in space-
time order to effect a given change upwhen. Each individual person in the
foundation has there own “prime radiant’. Thus we may be assuming a kind of
pre-destination theology here. The effectiveness of the Prime Radiant as a
guidepost for time travels can be improved by use of the electro-clarifier
instrument. EE FF

Guide Rod A futuristic device (in 1950s when the book Caves of Steel was
written) which is held in the hand and glows in the direction toward which it
points its user. CS
(note In 2011 the star-finder pointer software in current Celestron finder
telescopes works in this way)

Bel Roise – Empire general who led a failed campaign of ten Empire
spaceships against the Foundation at Siwenna in order to become its military
governor. FEIG

Dr. Sarton Sociologist killed in Caves of Steel, whose murder Bailey and
Olivaw investigate.

Sacratorium A place on Mycogen devoted to ancient worlds such as aurora

Sayshell The main plainet of one of the main colonized sectors in the Galaxy.

Hari Seldon – Started psychohistory and the Foundation and also the 2nd
Foundation in 1 F.E. –FIP The man who represented the one spark of creative
effort among the gathering decay in the Empire.-FEIG

Joseph Schwartz 62 year old earthman who gets infected with the radiation
virus in 1949 (827 years after the founding of the Empire…subtracting
backward gives a date of 1123AD for this, thus making the Galactic Empire the
probable allegorical equivalent of the Russian Empire on earth) After
treatment with the synapsifier he found he had heightened psychic mental
powers that allowed him to penetrate walls mentally. PS

Alfred Shekt Researcher at the Nuclear Institute in Chicago on earth circa
1949. He invented the synapsfier which can be used to cured the radiation
virus by studying rat behavior PS

Quindor Shandess-- Former 1st Speaker of the 2nd Foundation FED

Lord Stettin, Lev Meirus, and Lady Callia A man on Kalgan who called himself
first citizen, his servant and his wife .2FIISM





Sirius Sector One of the main sectors of early civilization in the Galaxy in
which the Earth lies.

Solarians Hermaphroditic caretakers of the robots, living underground, on
Aurora. They can harness the diurnal heat transfer of the planet from surface
to underground using parts of their brains which have evolved for this
purpose. F&E

Spatio-Analyst A researcher who studies the clouds of Galactic dust in order
to determne their radioactivity and effect on hyperdrive jumps through
hyperspace CS

Spacers People from outside of earth’s sector. In the novel CS they want to
prove Dr. Sarton was killed by a robot in order to show robots are a danger
to earth. CS

NeoTrantor – A small planet of Delicass, for a century the seat of the last
dynasty of the Empire
FEIIM

Elvett Semic Professor of physics on Kalgan


Sef Sermak – On the city council of Terminus FIIE

Seldons’ first Theorem and functions – establishes the laws of
psychohistory ..FIP

Siwenna One of the locations in the galaxy at which the Foundation was
attacked. At the end of the war it became the first provence to pass directly
from the Empire’s rule to the Foundation’s economic one. FEIG

Evander Sopellor Lt. and councilman on Terminus FED

Skystrip 2 An elder tribesman at the Sacratorium on Mycogen PF

Tomaz Sutt, Yate Fulham, Jord Fara- Members of the Board of Trustees on
Terminus of the Journal of the Encylopedia . FIIE

Sunmaster 14 a leader of the Mycogen sector of ancient Trantor PF


Jorane Sutt A Merchant Prince Trader.. FVMP


Littoral Thoobing Foundation’s Ambassador to Sayshell.

Jirad Tisalver Lived in the Dahl sector of Trantor

Jole Turbor – visi-castor on Kalgan 2FIIFS war correspondent for the
foundation 2FIISM

Tazenda – Possible location of the planet on which the 2nd Foundation
resided. 2FSM
l
Trantor Center of the Government of the Imperial Empire—FIP The ghost of a
world…Carrying Asimov’s allegory further Trantor might be considered
Jerusalem or Israel.2FIISF Later to be the location of the 2nd Foundation FED

Temporal barrier An obstacle placed in space-time (often near the pathways of
the kettle or time machine through the continuum) in order to keep people in
or out of the Primitive while a MNC is taking effect. EE

Golan Trevize 1st Foundation councilman on Terminus FED

Time Vault Where Hari Seldon’s teaching on psychohistotry are stored in a
holographic memory bank

Terminus – A Planet on the boundary of the Galaxy located in the tips of its
spiral arms where the encylopedists are located.—FIIE home of Ebling Mis
FEIIM Where the 2nd foundationers relocated after the assassination of the
Emperor Cleon and the fall of Trantor. FF

Senior Computer Laban Twissell A computer who is Andrew Harlan’s boss in the
End of Eternity story EE

Upperside The top of a research environmental dome run by Steeling
University on the surface of the planet Trantor.

Upwhen A direction in time that time travelers use towards the end of an
historical narrative. Its opposite is downwhen. EE

Poly Verisof- High priest of the Foundation on Anacrea

To “view” another person--- To telepathically project the other person’s
consciousness into yours…an ability of robots with positronic brains. NS

Variabe reality – A multi-dimensional field of objective truth in which small
(but not large) changes can be made by both time-travellers and regular
occupants of time in order to shift the accomplishment of goodness for us all
and for us individually. See also reality. EE

Visi-sonar A tech tool which emits soothing musical sound and light in order
to lull into letting their guard down.

Dors Venabili Steeling Unversity researcher and instructor who takes charge
of Hari Seldon PF FFED

Visi-cast A holographic television program.

Wanda Seldon Granddaughter of Hari Seldon FF

Weinis – Noble whose grandfather had helped Leopold brigandize his kingdom in
Anacrean

Yin and Yang Positive and negative energy effects in the psychohistory charts
of an event. FF

Las Zenow – Galactic librarian in Trantor during the time of Hari Seldon FF
Wye A sector on Trantor PF

Index Location Abbreviations
Standalone novels

Date Published
The End of Eternity ---
EE 1955
(the beginning of infinity)

The careful reader of this title should note two things, 1) that “eternity”
is not the same thing as “infinity”, 2) that there is some real thing which
is the “beginning of infinity”. 1)In fact, for the last 450 years
mathematicians have understand how an infinite series can exist inside of a
finite interval ( and hence how we can precisely definite what a “continuum”
or “real manifold space” means mathematically inside of time. Some people
say “mathematics is not about reality”. They mean this in the sense Plato
meant that his realm of ideal objects were not part of reality. But, this
philosophic viewpoint does not account for the fact of the unreasonable
importance that understanding mathematics has for those who study natural
science. There was a philosophic paradox of natural science for about a
thousand years after the Greek philosopher Zeno’s posed his famous
philosophic paradox asking how it could be possible that an infinite series
of decreasing intervals of time could sum up to a finite value inside of time.
For all who have taken a course in calculus we now know how to define what we
call a ‘real number’ that makes up the physical spatial-temporal continuum.
With logically connected set of a double backed top-down and bottom-up
definition of converging values of smaller and smaller epilisons and deltas
we define the finite limit of an infinite series of integers, fractional
ratios of integers (rational numbers), and limits of these limits themselves.
This makes it possible to explain the paradox of the physically intuitive
properties that intervals of time are infinitely divisible, yet precisely
locatable in space and time.
2)What is the “beginning of infinity”/ The beginning of infinity is the
number One. But, how do we define the number One? This is a deep question in
the area of the foundations of mathematics called “set theory”. Also I
believe being able to answer of this question is involved in being able to
understand philosophic questions about how we know what we know. ..How is
scientific knowledge different from religious knowledge and vice-versia. .
See elsewhere on this website for more discussion of this question.

The Empire Novels



Pebble in the Sky ------
PS 1950
The Stars Like Dust -----
SD 1950
The Currents of Space ------
CS 1952



The first three Foundation books were written by Asimov in the early 1950s.
They were given to new members in the late 1950s and early 1960s as bonuses
for joining. the Science Fiction Book club.
The others were written in the 1980s after the Robot novels of the 1950s,
1980s
(I,Robot 1950, the Naked Sun 1957, the Robots of Dawn 1983,Robots and Empire
1985)

Foundation Novels


date published
Prelude to Foundation ---
PF 1988



Foundation-Part I-The Psychohisterians ---------
FIP 1951
Part II-The Encylopedists ----------FIIE
Part III-The Mayors-----------------FIIIM
Part IV- The Traders----------------FIVT
Part V- The Merchant Princes-----FVMP

Foundation and
Empire
1952
Part I-The General----FEIG
Part II-The Mule---FEIIM

2nd Foundation
Part I—Search by the Mule—
2FSM 1953
Part II—Search by the Foundation-2FSF

Foundations Edge
FED 1982


Foundation and Earth
F&E 1983

Forward the Foundation
FF 1993

Part I Eto Demerzel FFED
Part II Cleon I FFCI
Part III Dors Venabili FFDV
Part IV Wanda Seldon FFWS
Part V Epilogue FFE

I, Robot ---------------
IR 1950

Caves of Steel -----------------------
CS 1954

The Robots of Dawn ---------------------
RD 1983

The Three Laws of Robotics along with a harder (to apply in practice) zeroth
law advanced by a robot itself.

1) A robot may not injure a human being, nor through inaction, allow a
human being to come to harm.
2) A robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings, except when
such order would conflict with the First Law.
3) A robot must protect its own existence, as long as such protection
does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
0) A robot may not injure humanity, or through inaction allow humanity to
come to harm

PF

Another alternate form of the 2) law is:
2)’ A robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings, except when
(to his knowledge) such order would conflict with the First Law.
Interpreting the second Law this way would allow someone, a robot or human,
to manipulate robots in order to harm humans. For one could have one robot
prepare a poison and another ( who didn’t have knowledge of what the first
did) administer it. NS

A robot may appear to violate one of the laws (eg drawing a gun on someone)
if he doesn’t actually carry through. This is explained in CS

Justice can be defined by humans as each person rendering to others his due,
adhering to the right. However, a robot being who he is can only define it as
the situation when all laws are enforced.
CS

**Foundation above refers to the 1st Foundation

*** Asimov writing philosophy was to chose real, but pretentious names for
his characters.
Cf. the articles in the book Gold

*+ Isaac (Dr. Asimov) claimed to be a humanist or agnostic however, the
orthodox Jewish part of his soul remains as far as I can see (eg the timeline
at http://www.yhwhschofchrist.org goes back at least 500 years).

**** If we consider ourselves as multidimensional galactic beings the 1st
foundationers can be thought as those for whom reality in the physical
consciousness, the 2nd foundationers as those for whom reality is primarily
mental, and the robots as those for whom reality is primarily causal or
governed by laws and having no free will components