Does that Plan come from Plato's Republic?

- In all the known history of Mankind, advances have been made primarily in physical technology; in the capacity of handling the inanimate world about man. Control of self and society has been left to chance or to the vague gropings of intuitive ethical systems based on inspiration and emotion. As a result, no culture of greater stability than about fifty-five percent has ever existed, and these only as the result of great misery.

- And why is the orientation we speak of a non-spontaneous one?

- Because a large minority of human beings are mentally equipped to take part in the advance of physical science, and all receive the crude and visible benefits. Only a significant minority, however, are inherently able to lead man through the greater involvements of Mental Science; and the benefits derived therefrom, while longer lasting, are more subtle and less apparent. Furthermore, since such an orientation would lead to the development of a benevolent dictatorships of the mentally best - virtually a higher sub-division of man - it would be resented and could not be stable without the application of a force which would depress the rest of humanity to brute level. Such a development is repugnant to us and must be avoided.

- What the is the solution?

- The solution is the Seldon Plan.

The Second Foundation, Isaac Asimov