Hari Seldon is fiction, of course, but it sure seems that if psychohistorians existed, they’d carry the more modren title of “complexity theorist.”
Insty linked to an overview article in MIT Technology Review, but I found the actual paper fascinating, and at only 15 pages including graphs and footnotes, surprisingly short and to the point. I’d guess from that writing style there’s less sociology in complexity theory and more mathematics. I like it! Well worth the read.
This despite the general trend of greater food prosperity over time for humanity as shown in The Escape from Hunger and Premature Death 1700-2100 — a book also worth your time, for perspective’s sake.