Dune Series PHD Episode 27 Planetary Ecology, Hydraulic Despotism & Systemic Thinking (Introduction)
Channel: Doc Sloan's Science Fiction Station
Date: 2021-10-12

Time to begin our examination of the ecological themes of the Dune series. Dune is often viewed as an ecological primer of sorts, and one of the counter culture college books that helped spur the growing environmental movement in the USA. 

Dune has the following dedication from Frank Herbert: "to the people whose labors go beyond ideas into the realm of 'real materials'—to the dry-land ecologists, wherever they may be, in whatever time they work, this effort at prediction is dedicated in humility and admiration."

In this episode we introduce the concepts of planetary ecology, hydraulic despotism and the nature of systemic thinking. Herbert's environmental concerns are a product of both his own work, and the growing public awareness in the 1950s and 60s.

So let's set the scene for looking at Herbert's environmental message in the Dune Series.

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