No. 56 (2026)
Articles

Analysis of the Concept of ‘Psychohistory’ in Isaac Asimov’s Foundation Trilogy: A Perspective from the Philosophy of the Social Sciences

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  • Anthony Rolando Medina Rivas Plata,
  • Santiago Andrés Ullauri Betancourt
Anthony Rolando Medina Rivas Plata
Universidad Nacional Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza. Chachapoyas. Perú
Santiago Andrés Ullauri Betancourt
Universidad Hemisferios. Quito. Ecuador

Published 2026-06-18

Keywords

  • Psychohistory,
  • Isaac Asimov,
  • philosophy of the social sciences,
  • historical prediction},
  • technocracy

Copyright (c) 2026 Anthony Rolando Medina Rivas Plata, Santiago Andrés Ullauri Betancourt

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How to Cite

Medina Rivas Plata, A. R., & Ullauri Betancourt, S. A. . (2026). Analysis of the Concept of ‘Psychohistory’ in Isaac Asimov’s Foundation Trilogy: A Perspective from the Philosophy of the Social Sciences. Revista Sarance, 56, 56-78. https://doi.org/10.51306/ioasarance.056.04

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Abstract

This article examines the concept of ‘Psychohistory’ in Isaac Asimov’s Foundation Trilogy as a problem in the philosophy of the social sciences. Its aim is not to read this work as a literal anticipation of contemporary disciplines, nor to reduce Psychohistory to a narrative device, but rather to reconstruct it as a conceptual experiment on the explanation, prediction, and governance of large-scale historical processes. This study undertakes a critical review of the literature on the trilogy, an epistemological discussion of the psychohistorical model, and a dialogue with contemporary debates on reflexivity, social modeling, and the legitimacy of expert knowledge. In doing so, it seeks to articulate three dimensions that often appear separately in the literature on the subject: the epistemological status of the model, its ontological presuppositions, and its political implications. It concludes by pointing out that the idea of Psychohistory should not be understood as an omniscient historical science, but rather as a conceptual experiment demonstrating that all large-scale social prediction depends on restrictive assumptions and entails risks of technocratic tutelage.

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