Dune is literally about how the future is not what we make it, but that we can and often become subjects to material and historical forces that are larger than ourselves, with events set in motion far beyond even our own birth, set by actors over whom we have no control.
Case in point, Paul becomes emperor, doing the only thing he could possibly have done in order to survive the revolution he started, but in order to do so he not only lost the trust of the only person he ever loved romantically (and who literally taught him to be the person who would become emperor) but also set the empire on the course of a genocidal jihad, all to simply preserve himself and house Atriedes, a path that, in the books, he constantly questions was the correct thing to do, even lamenting upon it, but never having the courage (or even ability) to stop the events that he himself set in motion.
Crazy that it was written by a republican. Though republicans back in that era were much different than the ones today and I think even Herbert was quite unique among them.
The point of the book is that even the God emperor (the guy I was talking about, Paul Atriedes) doesn’t get to make his own future. He gets to choose a future, which is incredibly powerful, but he never gets to make one that satisfies everything he would ideally want.
Edit: It’s a subtle difference, but it is the driving problem through all of the rest of the Dune books, with future emperors growing increasingly esoteric and warped in their attempts to use spice to predict, and more importantly shape, the future, a path that Paul sees as unstable but inevitable.
Dune is literally about how the future is not what we make it, but that we can and often become subjects to material and historical forces that are larger than ourselves, with events set in motion far beyond even our own birth, set by actors over whom we have no control.
Case in point, Paul becomes emperor, doing the only thing he could possibly have done in order to survive the revolution he started, but in order to do so he not only lost the trust of the only person he ever loved romantically (and who literally taught him to be the person who would become emperor) but also set the empire on the course of a genocidal jihad, all to simply preserve himself and house Atriedes, a path that, in the books, he constantly questions was the correct thing to do, even lamenting upon it, but never having the courage (or even ability) to stop the events that he himself set in motion.
Crazy that it was written by a republican. Though republicans back in that era were much different than the ones today and I think even Herbert was quite unique among them.
Herbert had libertarian brain and some real weird beliefs about gender and sexuality
How does a Republican write an anti-imperialist novel? And a materialist one at that? People are weird.
the only one who makes their own future in Dune is the godamm G O D E M P E R O R (even then it’s debatable, been a minute since I read it)
The point of the book is that even the God emperor (the guy I was talking about, Paul Atriedes) doesn’t get to make his own future. He gets to choose a future, which is incredibly powerful, but he never gets to make one that satisfies everything he would ideally want.
Edit: It’s a subtle difference, but it is the driving problem through all of the rest of the Dune books, with future emperors growing increasingly esoteric and warped in their attempts to use spice to predict, and more importantly shape, the future, a path that Paul sees as unstable but inevitable.
not to detract from this great response (thank you!) but the god emperor is Leto 2, Paul’s son. That’s who I meant.
Right! My apologies I forgot it wasn’t until his son that the moniker was adopted. Mixing it up with 40k lore obviously.