Was Rashevsky the inspirations for Hari Seldon?

From: Roger Bagula (tftn_at_earthlink.net)
Date: 07/18/04 

Date: Sun, 18 Jul 2004 18:29:46 GMT

Some people say that Toynbee( Toynbee was an English historian (1889-1975).)
was the inspiartion for the development of the theory of a mathematical
approach to history.
( called psychohistory by Asimov). The element of "chaos" in the theory is
evident by it's dependence on popoulation dynamics for it's basis
in biological mathematics.

We know that there were three very active minds in the area at the time
the Foundation series was published:

Isaac Asimov, Ludwig von Bertalanffy and Nicholas Rashevsky...
http://www.people.vcu.edu/~mikuleck/courses/measure/tsld007.htm

>
> NICHOLAS RASHEVSKY (1899-1984)
>
> *
>
>
> Reaction-Diffusion Models (mid-1930s)
>
> *
>
>
> Self-Organization (mid 1930s)
>
> *
>
>
> Artificial Neural Networks (mid 1930s)
>
> *
>
>
> By 1950s had solved most major problems
>
> *
>
>
> Relational Biology Born 1954: Topology and Life: In Search
> of General Mathematical Principles in Biology and Sociology,
> Bull. Math. Biophys. 16:317-348.
>
My best guess is that Isaac Asimov knew about Nicholas Rashevssky's work
and was inspired by it. ( Asimov's thesis was on reaction kinetics in 1948).

In a universe of the futureinterstellar empire
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galactic_Empire_%28Asimov%29> which
recount the collapse and rebirth of a vast ) Foundation Trilogy
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundation_Trilogy>: Foundation
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundation_%28novel%29> (1951
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1951>), Foundation and Empire
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundation_and_Empire> (1952
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1952>), and Second Foundation
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Foundation> (1953
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1953>)
"10. Foundation (1951). The second Foundation novel. Actually, it is a
collection of four stories, originally published between 1942 and 1944,
plus an introductory section written for the book in 1949.

"11. Foundation and Empire (1952). The third Foundation novel, made up
of two stories, originally published in 1945.

"12. Second Foundation (1953). The fourth Foundation novel, made up of
two stories, originally published in 1948 and 1949. 

-- 
Respectfully, Roger L. Bagula
tftn@earthlink.net, 11759Waterhill Road, Lakeside,Ca 92040-2905,tel: 619-5610814 :
URL :  http://home.earthlink.net/~tftn
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