There’s an Internet story going about that bin Laden was “inspired” by Russian-born Isaac Asimov’s seminal sf novel, Foundation. Supposedly that word is an alternate translation for al Qa’eda. The story tries to draw vague parallels about a crumbling empire, a distant “foundation” whose leader communicates by video tape, and stuff like that.
Frankly, it seems like a bizarro stretch to me, especially since there is very little if anything philosophically similar between Asimov’s Foundation and bin Laden’s al Qaeda. The Foundation wins its battles against the decadent Foundation through superior science and free enterprise, neither of which seem high on the terrorists’ list of things to pursue. Further, the Foundation largely functions defensively, and is governed more or less democratically. There are no suicide attacks on the Empire. No random bombings. No terror utilized whatsoever, that I can recall.
Now, if Charlie Manson can think that the Beatles are writing songs just for him, I suppose bin Laden might draw on a similarly odd channeling (or bad memory) to be “inspired” by Asimov (a peaceful and intellectual man). But it sounds … kind of screwy. Using the same vague logic, I imagine I could claim that he was inspired by Heinlein’s Starship Troopers, Haldeman’s The Forever War, or Cole & Bunch’s Sten series. Or, for that matter, Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. Especially when it comes in a cigar box from a cigar store.
(Via InstaPundit)