I refute the claim that it is impossible to create an "Asimovian Foundation" and call into evidence the entire social, political, economic and technical development of the human race in its present very, very brief period of existence through the efforts of a possibly unlistable number of men and women whose only wish was to make life better.
The tiniest effort of research will show that Charles Laveran (discoverer of the cause of malaria, Joseph Lister (discoverer of antiseptics), Alexander Fleming (et al discoverer of penicillin), Joseph Bazalgette (construction of the London sewer system) and John Snow (father of epidemiology) to name only the men I can think of that will mean something to slashdotters, saved the lives of untold millions and were directly responsible for the civilisation that exists today.
Somewhere, possibly in China or India (but really, who knows?) an investors spreadsheet contains a particular value that is incrementing every day and when that value reaches a particular number it will become financially viable to mine the asteroid belt, build a space mirror, populate the local moons and planets or any other grand idea.
The system requirements for this are: sufficient numbers of individuals, seeking to improve the quality of there lives and prepared to collectively achieve a common purpose.
And no, I haven't included the URL's to wikipedia because I don't doubt the curious reader's ability to look these up for themselves.
"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."
(Oscar Wilde)
Sign on, young man, and sail with me. The stature of our homeland is no more than the measure of ourselves. Our job is to keep her free. Our will is to keep the torch of freedom burning for all. To this solemn purpose we call on the young, the brave, the strong, and the free. Heed my call, Come to the sea. Come Sail with me.
John Paul Jones.