Dune and Philosophy: Minds, Monads, and Muad'dib

by Kevin S. Decker (Contributor), Nas Mehdi (Reader), Ariana Delawari (Reader)

"He who controls the spice controls the universe." Frank Herbert's Dune saga is the epic story of Paul, son of Duke Leto Atreides, and heir to the massive fortune promised by the desert planet Arrakis and its vast reservoirs of a drug called "spice." To control the spice, Paul and his mother Jessica, a devotee of the pseudo-religious Bene Gesserit order, must find their place in the culture of the desert-dwelling Fremen of Arrakis. Paul must contend with both the devious rival House Harkonnen and the gargantuan desert sandworms--the source of the spice. The future of the Imperium depends upon one young man who will need to lead a new jihad to control the universe. Dune and Philosophy recruits twenty-three philosophers to sift wisdom from Frank Herbert's Duniverse, including the first of an expected series of films following Paul "Muad'Dib" Atreides and his descendants, captivatingly brought to the big screen in 2021. Substantial yet accessible chapters address philosophical questions ● Is it morally right to create a savior? ● Would interplanetary travel change human nature? ● In conflict, how can you stay light years ahead of your opponents? ● Does history repeat itself?

Genres: Philosophy, Science Fiction, Fiction

Audio CD

Published April 25, 2023

Reviews

[Ila Perey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A clever balance between sufficient instruction and avoiding obscurity inherent in philosophy. I don’t think it’s necessary to have read the books or watched the movies though it would make reading this book a lot more fun. The ideas taken from the series and how it links to philosophy are sufficiently explained and not too complex to begin with. Mostly, it uses a system of juxtaposition and comparison to see how complex philosophical ideas play out in scenarios with which we are familiar; by doing so, the abstract feels more concrete and applicable.

A wide range of philosophical ideas is discussed: from free will and being in existentialism, Plato’s just society in the Republic to Hegel’s take on art. The Bene Gesserit’s pain box as a test for whether one is capable of controlling one’s animal instincts is compared to Plato’s theory of soul—they are both meritocratic ways to categorise humans. Elsewhere, power structures are elucidated and criticised.

The book does not disappoint in using ideas in Dune to properly discuss core philosophical ideas, albeit in a simplified form for easy comprehension and mass consumption. The devastation caused by Paul’s Jihad is used to demonstrate the dangers of hero-worshipping and the suppression of individual thought. The chapters on existentialism reminds us that although our environment has an impact on our existence (Heidegger’s being in the world), we have to create our own meaning and world (Sartre) using the unique features of Arrakis to demonstrate this point since the concept of ‘self’ is constituted through the development of habitual routines, customs, behavioural tendencies, personal disposition, character and so on.

Philosophy is applied to current issues such as feminism or artificial intelligence to draw attention to its relevance to us today. AI brings to the fore ethical questions such as: if we can create sentient AI, can we enslave them? Most discussions however, are left open-ended done by presenting alternative or opposing views. This way, readers can form their own conclusions and their own philosophy. Highly recommend this book if you like both the series and philosophy but don’t have to study for a test. It could give you a different way to observe or enjoy Dune and thus liberate you from the confines of your own conditioning and reality or something to that effect.

[Tbfrank · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dune has long been my favorite futurist novel since the first time I read it in 1968. While many fine novels have been written over the years between then and now, I reread Dune periodically and continue to hold it as the pinnacle. This volume written by a host of philosophers examines the multitude of ideas salted throughout Dune and the novels that followed, and gives proper names and backgrounds to those elements I've always appreciated.

[bookish_magpie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS BOOK. IF YOU LIKE DUNE, PLEASE GO READ THIS!!! The articles are so enlightening and they absolutely have heightened my experience when it comes to engaging with anything Dune-related. I loved annotating my copy and I'll treasure it forever. I went ahead and purchased all three of Blackwell's Star Wars and Philosophy editions, as well as their recent Avatar the Last Airbender and Philosophy edition. Phenomenal work. Some of the articles aren't as good as others, of course, and that will come down to personal preference as well, but they were extremely interesting and I devoured this book. 5/5

(edited to include the following:)
Here are the things I tabbed:
- Worldbuilding (ie when Herbert's worldbuilding is discussed in a significant manner. I love worldbuilding)
- Important Questions (so many questions that we need to ask! And none of them have a simple, yes or no answer! These questions left me with so much to ponder, and I loved the mental challenge)
- Conclusions and Arguments (just for my own personal reference)
- Profound/Inspiring Points (anything that made me go "OHHHHHHH," especially things that I wanted to take away from this book. Things that inspired me and that felt overall very significant)

These were some of my favorite articles:
- The Golden Path and Multicultural Meanings of Life (Ethan Mills)
- Thinking Like a Desert: Environmental Philosophy and Dune (Zach Vereb)
= Psychological Expanses of Dune: Indigenous Philosophy, Americana, and Existentialism (Matthew Crippen)
- Time Versus History: A Conflict Central to Herbert's Dune (Aaron Irvin)
- Secher Nbiw and the Child's Right to an Open Future (Kenneth R. Pike)
- The God Emperor and the Tyrant: The Political Theology of Frank Herbert's Dune Saga (James R. M. Wakefield)

PLEASE go check this out, it's so amazing.
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[Dave Stone · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just couldn't get into it. DNF
Seems like this is a movie tie-in for the 2021 film.
I get that philosophy is navel gazing, and more than a bit masturbatory, but these essays did not move me to join in thinking deep thoughts. They seemed more like surface impressions than well thought out observations. at many points I was asking myself just WTF were they even talking about?
That first one about the women of dune was pretty good, but not enough to carry me to the end.

[Mike Gonzalez · Rating 5 out of 5]

23

[Tristan Searle · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The great tragedy of Frank Herbert’s Dune lies in the fact that despite their successes in the most difficult circumstances imaginable, the superhuman minds of Dune’s strategists, spies, and soldiers simply cannot conceive of a life beyond the brutal one in which they find themselves complicit. Despite their incredible powers of reasoning, calculation, perception, and invention, we never find them considering courses of action other than traveling the path that their dark worldview tells them is inevitable.” (p. 237)

[Jeffrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like any multiauthored volume, this book was a mixed bag.
I found some chapters more interesting than others because of my particular interests. I would not recommend reading this book unless you have read all 6 of the Dune novels by Frank Herbert, as many of the chapters deal with characters and themes from across the series. A couple of the chapters were specifically focused on the latest Dune film (Denis Villeneuve's Dune: Part One) that was out at the time of publication.

[Spellsies · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t usually enjoy long book or movie series, but the Dune series is the only series I have really stuck to and enjoyed over several rereads.

Each philosopher made me look back on my Dune reading experience and realize some of the subtle details I had missed. This book also gave names to some of the details I had picked up on but could not quite put words to or explain in a broader context.

I really enjoyed this book and the perspective it offers on the Dune series.

[Taj Chapman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Blackwell "and Philosophy" series has always been a great way to get people involved in philosophy in a fun way. This edition is fascinating as Dune deals with so many interesting (and whacky) philosophical ideas. If you've been on the Dune train for the past few years (Like I have!) this book will enhance your experience of the books and movies.

[Danny Galvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely think I would have benefited from reading the book first lol. Have seen the movies but this was pretty book focused. Overall this was pretty enjoyable and I’d read it again down the road. Covered some interesting topics and ideas and definitely offered a new perspective on certain themes and elements of this franchise

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

While interesting, the editor allowed too many chapters to analyze the same handful of scenes or quotes. This made the various submissions feel somewhat claustrophobic and repetitive. Stronger editorial control by Decker would have turned out a 4 or 5 star product.

[Roy Van Den Brande · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warning! If you've only seen the recent movie: huuuuuge spoilers.

[Matthew Doyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect and fascinating literary analysis of the Dune books. One of my favorite things I've read in a long long time

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The dryness of the first section is greatly outweighed by the remainder of the book. A fun one!

[Nick Caltagirone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent pop culture and philosophy series, not all the essays were fantastic, but the majority were both thought provoking and accessible.

[Connor Magary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would’ve been done faster if I didn’t lend it to a coworker for 6 months. Some cool shit.