Written by Alden Cutler
In the world of Dune, knowledge and information hold power and influence. The ability to control and manipulate information is a game-changer in the political and power dynamics in the story, like for example when the Harkonnens use their access to confidential information to plot the downfall of House Atreides. The Harkonnens infiltrate the House Atreides with Dr. Yue as a spy to monitor their plans before the attack on Arrakis [1]. This entire dynamic directly parallels real-world issues of national security and cyber-warfare. Just like the factions in Dune use almost every surveillance method available, from bugged rooms to infiltrations by human spies, our world is constantly locked in a tug-of-war between defending society and defending people’s right to privacy.
Another case is the Bene Gesserit, a sisterhood that can access memories stored in their genes, allowing them to tap into their collective knowledge, as seen when the Reverend Mother tests Paul Atreides’ resilience [2]. This relates to real-world information privacy issues, specifically with the use of genetic information. With advances in gene research and DNA sequencing, we now have unprecedented access to people’s genetic information. Modern genomic companies and researchers can reveal personal details about a person’s behavioral traits or predisposition to diseases just from a sample of DNA [3].
The spice melange in Dune is another example. It grants those
who ingest it heightened consciousness and the ability to see
into the future, allowing access to ‘privileged’ information
that regular humans can’t obtain [4]. While there aren’t as many
real-world parallels to be drawn from the spice, the important
case of brain-computer interaction comes to mind. It might not
be as dramatic as tapping into a collective mind, but there have
been recent technological advances, like Neuralink [5] that
suggest that one day, it might even be possible to monitor or
manipulate someone’s thoughts and emotions against their will.
References:
[1] Dune: Part One (1:18:43)
[2] Dune: Part One (0:25:30)
[3] National Human Genome Research Institute, "Privacy in Genomics"
(National Institute of Health, 2/6/2024), https://www.genome.gov/about-genomics/policy-issues/Privacy (4/22/2024)
[4] Dune Wiki, "Spice Melange" (fandom.com, 4/21/2024), https://dune.fandom.com/wiki/Spice_Melange (4/25/2024)
[5] Neuralink,
"Neuralink Live Update - March 2024" (YouTube, 3/1/2024),
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzNHxC96rDE
(4/18/2024)