Editing Hari Seldon

{{Short description|Fictional character from the Foundation series by Isaac Asimov}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox character
| image       = Hari Seldon - Foundation (1986 reprint) by Michael Whelan.png
| caption     = Hari Seldon, as depicted on the 1986 US reprint cover of ''Foundation''. Art by [[Michael Whelan]].
| series      = [[Foundation (book series)|Foundation]]
| first       = "[[Foundation (short story)|Foundation]]" (1942)
| last        = ''[[Foundation's Triumph]]'' (1999)
| creator     = [[Isaac Asimov]]
| portrayer   = [[Jared Harris]] <br> ''[[Foundation (TV series)|Foundation]]'' (2021–present)
| voice       = William Eedle <br> ''[[The Foundation Trilogy (BBC Radio)|The Foundation Trilogy]]'' (1973)
| gender      = Male
| occupation  = {{Plainlist|
* Mathematician
* Psychologist
* Imperial First Minister
}}
| affiliation = {{Plainlist|
* Foundation
* Second Foundation
* Streeling University
}}
| spouse      = {{Plainlist|
* [[Dors Venabili]] (novels)
* [[Yanna Seldon]] (TV series)
}}
| children    = [[Raych Seldon]] (adopted)
| relatives   = 
}}

'''Hari Seldon''' is a fictional character in the [[Foundation (book series)|''Foundation'' series]] of novels by [[Isaac Asimov]]. In his capacity as mathematics professor at [[Streeling University]] on the planet [[Trantor]], Seldon develops [[Psychohistory (fictional)|psychohistory]], an algorithmic science that allows him to predict the future in probabilistic terms. On the basis of his psychohistory he is able to predict the eventual fall of the [[Galactic Empire (Asimov)|Galactic Empire]] and to develop a means to shorten the millennia of chaos to follow.

In the first five books of the ''Foundation'' series, Hari Seldon made only one in-the-flesh appearance, in the first part of the first book (''[[Foundation (Asimov novel)|Foundation]]''), although he did appear at other times in pre-recorded messages to reveal a "Seldon Crisis". After writing five books in chronological order, Asimov retroactively added two books to expand on the genesis of psychohistory. The two prequels—''[[Prelude to Foundation]]'' and ''[[Forward the Foundation]]''—describe Seldon's life in considerable detail. He is also the central character of the [[Second Foundation Trilogy]] written after Asimov's death (''[[Foundation's Fear]]'' by [[Gregory Benford]], ''[[Foundation and Chaos]]'' by [[Greg Bear]], and ''[[Foundation's Triumph]]'' by [[David Brin]]), which are set after Asimov's two prequels.

Seldon is voiced by William Eedle in several episodes of the 1973 [[BBC Radio 4]] adaptation ''[[The Foundation Trilogy (BBC Radio)|The Foundation Trilogy]]'', and  portrayed by [[Jared Harris]] in the 2021 [[Apple TV+]] television series adaptation ''[[Foundation (TV series)|Foundation]]''.

== Appearances ==
Hari Seldon is first mentioned in the short story "[[Foundation (short story)|Foundation]]", published in ''[[Astounding Science Fiction]]'' in May 1942, as the creator of psychohistory, and appears as a prerecorded hologram near the end. The story was renamed "The Encyclopedists" and collected with four others as ''[[Foundation (Asimov novel)|Foundation]]'' in 1951. "The Psychohistorians" depicts Seldon put on trial by the Commission of Public Safety for his dire predictions about the eventual fall of the Galactic Empire, after which he is exiled to the distant planet [[Terminus (fictional planet)|Terminus]].<ref name="gunn ppbk">{{cite book |last=Gunn |first=James |author-link=James E. Gunn |date=1982 |title=Isaac Asimov: The Foundations of Science Fiction |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=0-8108-5420-1 |edition=2005 Revised |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XQE2f6CWyvEC |access-date=March 25, 2024 |archive-date=March 8, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240308200652/https://www.google.com/books/edition/Isaac_Asimov/XQE2f6CWyvEC?hl=en&gbpv=1 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{rp|23–24}}<ref name="armstrong">{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20210920-foundation-the-unfilmable-sci-fi-epic-now-on-our-screens|title=''Foundation'': The 'Unfilmable' Sci-fi Epic Now on Our Screens|website=[[BBC]]|first=Neil|last=Armstrong|date=September 20, 2021|access-date=February 25, 2024|archive-date=February 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240225085048/https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20210920-foundation-the-unfilmable-sci-fi-epic-now-on-our-screens|url-status=live}}</ref> Seldon's prerecorded messages continue to appear in ''[[Foundation and Empire]]'' (1952) and ''[[Second Foundation]]'' (1953), as well as the later sequels, ''[[Foundation's Edge]]'' (1982) and ''[[Foundation and Earth]]'' (1986). He is featured as the main character in Asimov's two prequels, ''[[Prelude to Foundation]]'' (1988) and ''[[Forward the Foundation]]'' (1993).<ref name="gunn ppbk"/>{{rp|23–28}}

Describing "The Psychohistorians" as "28 pages of nonstop world-building", Josh Wimmer and Alasdair Wilkins of ''[[Gizmodo]]'' wrote that in the story, "Hari Seldon isn't so much a character as he is the living embodiment of psychohistory, an ethereal presence who's about as relatable as [[Gandalf]]. It wouldn't be until ''Prelude to Foundation'' ... that Seldon would become an actual character."<ref name="gizmodo 1">{{Cite web|url=https://gizmodo.com/isaac-asimovs-foundation-the-little-idea-that-became-s-5799655|title=Isaac Asimov's ''Foundation'': The Little Idea That Became Science Fiction's Biggest Series|first1=Josh|last1=Wimmer|first2=Alasdair|last2=Wilkins|date=May 9, 2011|website=[[Gizmodo]]|access-date=February 26, 2024|archive-date=February 26, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240226010148/https://gizmodo.com/isaac-asimovs-foundation-the-little-idea-that-became-s-5799655|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Storyline ==
=== Fictional biography ===
Galactic Empire First Minister and psychohistorian Hari Seldon was born in the 10th month of the 11,988th&nbsp;year of the Galactic Era (GE) (-79&nbsp;Foundation Era (FE)) and died 12,069&nbsp;GE (1&nbsp;FE).<ref group=lower-alpha>According to the ''[[Encyclopedia Galactica (Foundation)|Encyclopedia Galactica]]'' (Asimov's fictitious encyclopedia often cited in his future history novels), "It is thought that Seldon's birthdate, which some consider doubtful, may have been adjusted to match that of Cleon's" the last Galactic Emperor of the Entun Dynasty (''Prelude to Foundation'', p.&nbsp;3).</ref><ref group=lower-alpha>In Asimov's saga, the Galactic Era begins when the [[Galactic Empire (Asimov)|Galactic Empire]] is founded at an unknown date roughly 11,000&nbsp;years in the future: The timeline can be deduced from some hints Asimov dropped in his other science fiction works, including the [[Robot series|''Robot'']] and [[Galactic Empire series|''Empire'']] series.</ref>

He was born on the planet Helicon in the [[Arcturus]] sector where his father worked as a tobacco grower in a [[hydroponic]]s plant. He shows incredible mathematical abilities at a very early age.

{{Blockquote|text=HARI SELDON–… born in the 11,988th year of the Galactic Era; died 12,069. The dates are more commonly given in terms of the current Foundational Era as –79 to the year 1 F.E. Born to middle-class parents on Helicon, Arcturus sector (where his father, in a legend of doubtful authenticity, was a tobacco grower in the hydroponic plants of the planet), he showed amazing abilities in mathematics from an early age. Anecdotes concerning his ability are innumerable, and some are contradictory. At the age of two, he is said to have …|author=[[Encyclopedia Galactica (Foundation)|Encyclopedia Galactica]]|title=|source=<ref>{{Cite book|last=Asimov|first=Isaac|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/2680406|title=Foundation|date=1951|publisher=Doubleday|isbn=0-385-05047-X|location=Garden City, N.Y.|oclc=2680406}}</ref>}}

He also learns [[martial arts]] on Helicon that later help him on Trantor, the principal art being Heliconian Twisting (a form seemingly equal parts [[Jujutsu|jiu-jitsu]], [[Krav Maga]], and [[submission wrestling]]). Helicon is said to be "less notable for its mathematics, and more for its martial arts" (''Prelude to Foundation''). Seldon is awarded a Ph.D. in mathematics for his work on turbulence at the University of Helicon.<ref name="Asimovprelude">{{cite book |last1=Asimov |first1=Isaac |title=Prelude to Foundation |date=1988 |isbn=9780008117481 |page=285 |publisher=HarperCollins Publishers |oclc=1105087464 |language=en}}</ref> There he becomes an assistant professor specializing in the mathematical analysis of social structures.<ref name="Asimovprelude" />{{rp|p. 73}} {{rp|p. 76}}

Seldon is the subject of a biography by [[Gaal Dornick]]. Seldon is Emperor [[Cleon I]]'s second and last First Minister, the first being [[Eto Demerzel]]/[[R. Daneel Olivaw]]. He is deposed as First Minister after Cleon I's assassination.

{{blockquote|Seldon, Hari— . . . found dead, slumped over desk in his office at Streeling University in 12,069 (1&nbsp;F.E.). Apparently Seldon had been working up to his last moments on psychohistorical equations; his activated Prime Radiant was discovered clutched in hand. According to Seldon’s instructions, the instrument was shipped by his colleague Gaal Dornick who had recently emigrated to Terminus. Seldon's body was jettisoned into space, also in accordance with instructions he’d left. The official memorial service on Trantor was simple, though attended. It was worth noting that Seldon’s old friend former First Minister Eto Demerzel attended the event. Demerzel had not been seen since his mysterious disappearance immediately following the Joranumite Conspiracy during the reign of Emperor Cleon&nbsp;I. Attempts by the Commission of Public Safety to locate Demerzel in the days following the Seldon memorial proved to be unsuccessful. [[Wanda Seldon]], Hari Seldon's granddaughter, did not attend the ceremony. It was rumored that she was grief-stricken and had refused all public appearances. To this day, her whereabouts from then on remain unknown. It has been said that Hari Seldon left this life as lived it, for he died with the future he created unfolding all around him.|[[Encyclopedia Galactica (Foundation)|Encyclopedia Galactica]]|title=|source=<ref>{{Cite book|last=Asimov|first=Isaac|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/27267037|title=Forward the foundation|isbn=0-385-24793-1|location=New York|oclc=27267037|access-date=January 16, 2021|archive-date=March 27, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240327152621/https://search.worldcat.org/title/27267037|url-status=live}}</ref>}}

=== ''Foundation'' ===
Using psychohistory, Seldon mathematically determines what he calls ''The Seldon Plan''—a plan to determine the right time and place to set up a new society, one that would replace the collapsing [[Galactic Empire (Asimov)|Galactic Empire]] by sheer force of social pressure, but over only a thousand-year time span, rather than the ten-to-thirty-thousand-year time span that would normally have been required, and thus reduce the human suffering from living in a time of barbarism. The Foundation is placed on [[Terminus (fictional planet)|Terminus]], a remote and resource-poor planet entirely populated by scientists and their families. The planet—or so Seldon claimed—was originally occupied to create the ''[[Encyclopedia Galactica (Foundation)|Encyclopedia Galactica]]'', a vast compilation of the knowledge of a dying galactic empire. In reality, Terminus had a much larger role in his Plan, which he had to conceal from its inhabitants at first.

=== ''Prelude to Foundation'' ===
Seldon visits Trantor to attend the Decennial Mathematics Convention. He presents a paper which indicates that one could theoretically predict the Galactic Empire's future. He is able to show that Galactic society can be represented in a simulation simpler than itself (in a finite number of iterations before the onset of chaotic noise smears discerning sets of events).<ref name="Asimovprelude"/>{{rp|p. 148}}  He does so using a technique invented that past century. At first, Seldon has no idea how this could be done in practice, and he is fairly confident that no one could actually fulfill the possibility. Shortly after his presentation, he becomes a lightning rod for political forces who want to use psychohistory for their own purposes. The rest of the novel tells of his flight, which lasts for approximately a year and which takes him through the complex and variegated world of Trantor. During his flight to escape the various political factions, he discovers how psychohistory can be made a practical science. It is in this novel that he meets his future wife [[Dors Venabili]], future adopted son [[Raych Seldon]], and future partner [[Yugo Amaryl]].

=== ''Forward the Foundation'' ===
This novel is told as a sequence of [[short stories]], as was the case with the original trilogy. They take place at intervals a decade or more apart, and tell the story of Hari's life, starting about ten years after ''[[Prelude to Foundation|Prelude]]'' and ending with his death. The stories contrast his increasingly successful professional life with his increasingly unsuccessful personal life.

Seldon becomes involved in politics when [[R. Daneel Olivaw|Eto Demerzel]] becomes a target for a smear campaign conducted by Laskin Joranum. He eventually takes Demerzel's place as First Minister, despite his reluctance to divide his attention between government and the development of Psychohistory. His career comes to an end when Cleon I is assassinated by his gardener (a random event Seldon could not have predicted) and the seizure of power by a military junta. Seldon eventually causes the fall of the junta by dropping subtle false hints about what Psychohistory foresees, leading to the Junta making unpopular decisions. However, an agent of the Junta inside Seldon's team, having deduced that Dors is a robot, builds a device that ultimately kills her, leaving Seldon heartbroken. Years later, Seldon discovers that his granddaughter Wanda has telepathic abilities and begins searching for others like her but fails. Raych eventually decides to move his family to the planet Santanni, but Wanda chooses to remain with her elderly grandfather. However, just after they arrive a rebellion breaks out on the planet and Raych is killed in the fighting. His wife and child are lost when their ship disappears. Seldon eventually finds Stettin Palver, another telepath who becomes Wanda's husband and the pair are eventually instrumental in creating the Second Foundation.

Seldon mentions two indigenous species of Helicon: the lamec and the greti. The first is a hardworking animal, while the latter is dangerous as indicated by the native Helicon saying "If you ride a greti, you find you can't get off; for then it will eat you."  The saying is similar to the age-old Chinese proverb "He who rides the tiger finds it difficult to dismount", and the words ''lamec'' and ''greti'' are anagrams of ''camel'' and ''tiger'', respectively.

In his old age, he gains the nickname ''Raven'' for his dire predictions of the future.

== In adaptations ==
[[File:Jarred Harris at DIFF 2024.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Jared Harris]] portrays Hari Seldon in the 2021 TV series.]]
Seldon is voiced by William Eedle in several episodes of the 1973 [[BBC Radio 4]] adaptation ''[[The Foundation Trilogy (BBC Radio)|The Foundation Trilogy]]''.<ref name="scifimike">{{Cite web|url=https://www.scifimike.com/sf-radio-foundation.html|title=''The Foundation Trilogy''|website=SciFiMike|access-date=February 26, 2024|archive-date=February 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240225163819/https://www.scifimike.com/sf-radio-foundation.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sciencefiction.com/2015/08/27/throwback-thursday-bbc-radios-foundation-trilogy-1973/|title=Throwback Thursday: BBC Radio's''The Foundation Trilogy'' (1973)|date=August 27, 2015|access-date=February 25, 2024|archive-date=February 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240225162938/https://sciencefiction.com/2015/08/27/throwback-thursday-bbc-radios-foundation-trilogy-1973/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Seldon is portrayed by [[Jared Harris]] in the 2021 [[Apple TV+]] television series adaptation ''[[Foundation (TV series)|Foundation]]''.<ref name="collider who">{{Cite web|url=https://collider.com/foundation-cast-character-guide-apple-tv-series/|title=''Foundation'' Cast and Characters Guide: Who Plays Who in the Apple TV+ Asimov Adaptation|first=Jason|last=Robbins|date=October 15, 2021|website=[[Collider (website)|Collider]]|access-date=February 26, 2024|archive-date=July 20, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230720225113/https://collider.com/foundation-cast-character-guide-apple-tv-series/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="decider">{{cite news|last=O'Keefe|first=Meghan|date=September 16, 2021|title=''Foundation'' on Apple TV+: How David S. Goyer Worked with the Asimov Estate to Update the Sci-Fi Classic|work=[[Decider (website)|Decider]]|url=https://decider.com/2021/09/26/foundation-on-apple-tv-plus-feature/|access-date=October 3, 2021|archive-date=October 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211004001058/https://decider.com/2021/09/26/foundation-on-apple-tv-plus-feature/|url-status=live}}</ref> His casting was announced in October 2019.<ref>{{cite web |last=Ausiello |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Ausiello |title=Lee Pace and Jared Harris to Star in 10-Episode Adaptation of Isaac Asimov's Sci-Fi Classic ''Foundation'' at Apple TV+ |url=https://tvline.com/2019/10/22/foundation-tv-series-cast-lee-pace-jared-harris-apple-tv-plus/ |website=[[TVLine]] |date=October 22, 2019 |access-date=October 22, 2019 |archive-date=October 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191022163755/https://tvline.com/2019/10/22/foundation-tv-series-cast-lee-pace-jared-harris-apple-tv-plus/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Contemporary influence ==
Historian [[Ian Morris (historian)|Ian Morris]] has discussed the applicability and inspiration of Hari Seldon to statistics and prediction.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Morris|first1=Ian|title=Why the West rules-- for now : the patterns of history, and what they reveal about the future|date=2010|isbn=9781551995816|page=581|publisher=McClelland & Stewart }}</ref>  Hari Seldon's name is cited in an article in ''The Economist'' discussing the use of statistics in [[epidemiology]], the process through which societies change collective political thinking, and "a general computer model of society."<ref>{{cite news|title=Dr. Seldon, I Presume?|url=https://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21572159-data-social-networks-are-making-social-science-more-scientific-dr-seldon-i|newspaper=The Economist|date=Feb 23, 2013|access-date=August 29, 2017|archive-date=April 24, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170424095350/http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21572159-data-social-networks-are-making-social-science-more-scientific-dr-seldon-i|url-status=live}}</ref>  
Seldon is also quite often named in research as a metaphorical literary reference point.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Gaddis|first1=John Lewis|title=International Relations Theory and the End of the Cold War|journal=International Security|date=Winter 1992–1993|volume=17|issue=3|pages=5–58|doi=10.2307/2539129|publisher=The MIT Press|jstor=2539129|s2cid=14897416}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Phillips|first1=Nelson|last2=Zyglidopoulos|first2=Stelios|title=Learning from Foundation: Asimov's Psychohistory and the Limits of Organization Theory|journal=Organization|date=November 1999|volume=6|issue=4|pages=591–608|doi=10.1177/135050849964002|s2cid=145493820}}</ref>

Phil Pinn speculated in ''[[Forbes]]'' that Seldon's psychohistory is being manifested in today's emergence of [[Big Data]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Pinn|first1=Phil|title=Big Data: Is It Straight Out of Sci-Fi?|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/gyro/2013/08/06/big-data-is-it-straight-out-of-sci-fi/#3ca7b0c45c4e|website=Gyro|publisher=Forbes|access-date=August 29, 2017|archive-date=August 31, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180831073018/https://www.forbes.com/sites/gyro/2013/08/06/big-data-is-it-straight-out-of-sci-fi/#3ca7b0c45c4e|url-status=live}}</ref> Tom Boellstorff called Seldon has even been labeled a "paradigmatic figure" in Big Data research.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Boellstorff |first1=Tom |title=Making Big Data, in Theory |journal=First Monday |date=21 September 2013 |volume=18 |issue=10 |doi=10.5210/fm.v18i10.4869 |language=en |doi-access=free }}</ref> 
In 2019, the term ''Seldonian algorithm'' was chosen to honor the character in new [[artificial intelligence]] techniques intended to avoid undesirable behaviors in decision-making systems.<ref>
{{cite journal
 | last1 = Thomas | first1 = Philip S. | last2 = Castro da Silva | first2 = Bruno
 | last3 = Bartol | first3 = Andrew G. | last4 = Giguere | first4 = Stephen
 | last5 = Brun | first5 = Yuriy | last6 = Brunskill | first6 = Emma
 | title = Preventing undesirable behavior of intelligent machines
 | journal = Science | volume = 366 | issue = 6468 | pages = 999–1004
 | publisher = AAAS | date = 22 Nov 2019
 | doi = 10.1126/science.aag3311 
| pmid = 31754000 | bibcode = 2019Sci...366..999T | s2cid = 208225074 | doi-access = free }}</ref>

People who credit to Hari Seldon for the career choices that they made include economist and ''[[The New York Times|New York Times]]'' columnist [[Paul Krugman]]<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Larissa MacFarquhar|author-link=Larissa MacFarquhar|title=The Deflationist|url=http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/03/01/the-deflationist|magazine=The New Yorker|date=March 1, 2010|access-date=April 3, 2016|archive-date=April 1, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160401084312/http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/03/01/the-deflationist|url-status=live}}</ref> and US politician [[Newt Gingrich]].<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Lizza|first1=Ryan|title=When Newt met Hari Seldon|url=http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/when-newt-met-hari-seldon|magazine=The New Yorker|date=December 8, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111221091132/http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2011/12/when-newt-met-hari-seldon.html|archive-date=December 21, 2011|access-date=October 12, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> French politician [[Jean-Luc Mélenchon]] also cites Seldon as one of his [[metapolitics|metapolitical]] sources of inspiration.<ref name="francetvinfolhologramme">{{cite news |title=Video. L'hologramme de Mélenchon s'inspire de "Fondation", le classique SF d'Isaac Asimov |url=https://www.francetvinfo.fr/politique/melenchon/video-l-hologramme-de-melenchon-sinspire-de-fondation-le-classique-sf-d-isaac-asimov_2666100.html |access-date=June 22, 2018 |work=France TV Info |date=March 22, 2018 |archive-date=May 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180526202406/https://www.francetvinfo.fr/politique/melenchon/video-l-hologramme-de-melenchon-sinspire-de-fondation-le-classique-sf-d-isaac-asimov_2666100.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Foundation series}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Seldon, Hari}}
[[Category:Fictional heads of government]]
[[Category:Fictional mathematicians]]
[[Category:Fictional academics]]
[[Category:Fictional psychologists]]
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[[Category:Literary characters introduced in 1951]]
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[[Category:Male characters in television]]
[[Category:Fictional exiles]]