Better Humans

Frank Herbert was deeply influenced by the birth of quantum mechanics during his lifetime. However, unlike contemporary hard sci-fi writers who used quantum physics to explain flashy gadgets, Herbert used quantum theory to explain human psychology and the human mind. In Dune, “prescience” (future-sight) is essentially a human brain acting like a quantum computer – looking at infinite superpositioned timelines, probabilities, and wave functions to calculate a path forward. The most fascinating aspect of Frank Herberts philosophy is that it can feel deeply strange that in a world set 20,000 years in the future, humans are still using knives, riding on worms, and acting like medieval knights while technology seems almost stagnant. In the later Dune books, Herbert did mention “quantum”, he explicitly wrote about the quantum level of the universe. “At the quantum level our universe can be seen as an indeterminate place, predictable in a statistical way only when you employ large enough numbers… Your beliefs order the unfolding of daily events… Belief structure creates a filter through which chaos is sifted into order”.
By freezing technological advancement, Herbert made a profound statement – the ultimate destination of human progress is not better machines, but better humans.