Mentalic Abilities

An unpredicted variable in the mathematical certainty of history.

Mentalics in the Foundation series are people with telepathic abilities. Hari Seldon's psychohistory relies on statistical laws of mass action for large populations, and the rise of the Mule, a mutant who defeats the Foundation thanks to his abilities, was unpredicted.

Quick Facts

Primary user: The Mule
First major appearance: Foundation and Empire

Lore & Background

Hari Seldon devises psychohistory, a mathematics of sociology that uses statistical laws of mass action to predict the future of large populations. This theory allows for the prediction of future events regarding large populations but fails when encountering specific individuals with extraordinary capabilities. The Mule is a mutant whose abilities allowed him to defeat the Foundation, a rise the Seldon Plan had not predicted. In 310 F.E. the Mule took over Kalgan; his rule ended when the First Speaker of the Second Foundation seized control of his mind and altered it.

Reader's Guide

The Second Foundation, a colony of psychologists and mentalics, guards the Seldon Plan against unexpected developments such as the Mule.

Did You Know?

The Second Foundation's function is to ensure that the Seldon Plan comes to pass and to guard against unexpected developments such as the Mule.
The original trilogy concluded with Second Foundation (1953); in 1981 Asimov's publishers persuaded him to write a fourth novel, Foundation's Edge (1982).