#AppliedPsychology #Psychology
#FearManagement

1/n

Wow fascinating psychology/philosophy.

"...the clarity and consistency with which parents and 👉elders described fear as having no value, saying that children should outgrow their early fears.👈 The common sentiment was:

👉‘I do not feel fear; I feel respect.’👈

When we further.."

#AppliedPsychology #Psychology
#FearManagement

2/n

"...probed parents and elders about these beliefs, they told us that fear isn’t useful and shouldn’t be felt. They argued that fear is debilitating and paralysing, and should be replaced with unconditional respect (ie, respect given to all life, human or nonhuman).

In the.."

#AppliedPsychology #Psychology
#FearManagement

3/n

"...#Mapuche culture, respect seems to alleviate, and even replace, fear.

👉The Mapuche believe that all elements of the universe are interconnected and deserve respect.👈 They teach children to give reverence to the air, water and land, along with all the living creatures..."

#AppliedPsychology #Psychology
#FearManagement

4/n

"...that inhabit these spaces.

It’s important to note that the #Mapuche don’t try to suppress their children’s fear, but to transform it into respect...

...👉the #Mapuche have a long warrior history; one of the very few cultures able to stop the advancement of the #Inka empire..."👈

5/n
"...in the late 1400s, they also held off #Spanish rule for more than 300 years. It took the dual efforts of the #Chilean and #Argentinian militaries to finally defeat them in the late-19th century."

#Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, said

6/7
...“A coward dies a thousand times before his death, but the valiant taste of death but once. It seems to me most strange that men should fear, seeing that death, a necessary end, will come when it will come.”

Late bestselling author and researcher #FrankHerbert...

7/7
...converted this insight into one of the fundamental concepts of his epic #Dune saga.

Even though he probably never heard of the #Mapuche, he seems to have been onto something else.

/END

@HistoPol So. A thought.

The context of the Litany of Fear is that it's a Bene Gesserit mantra, and the Bene Gesserit are *bad guys*. They've manipulated galactic events, including implanting fake religions, in order to pave the way for their eugenics project to make the "perfect man," who himself turns out to be a terrifying warlord. By the second book, it turns out Paul is a fan of Hitler.

Yes, that Hitler.

@HistoPol Where we draw the line, here, between stuff Herbert put into DUNE in earnest and what was part of his critique of the "sci-fi superman" is not clear, but what is very important to remember is that *any* quotation from a fiction text happens in the context of that narrative.

Paul and the Bene Gesserit are the protagonists of DUNE, but they are not *heroes*, and we need remember that when we interact with that text.

Just saying.

@orionkidder

#HPsCommentary #SciFI

*A Critique of #FrankHerbert's #Dune Saga*

You've raised important points about context, and you're right that the #BeneGesserit are morally compromised manipulators whose #Eugenic project deserves scrutiny. Your reminder that #Paul and the Bene Gesserit aren't simple heroes is genuinely valuable— #Herbert absolutely subverts the "chosen one" trope.

However, I'd gently push back on a few specifics. Paul isn't presented as a #Hitler admirer; rather, 👉his...

prescient visions *horrify* him by showing catastrophic futures he wants to prevent.👈 #Herbert seems to be critiquing how messianic figures *enable* atrocities, not celebrating them. Similarly, the #BeneGesserit aren't painted as straightforward villains—they're morally complex, and #LadyJessica embodies genuine care alongside institutional manipulation.

Here's what's crucial:
👉Paul's rise is fundamentally a story of resistance against a fascistic occupying force.👈The #Harkonnen..
@orionkidder

and their Imperial backers exhibit clear #Nazi-like brutality and genocide against the #Fremen. Paul's leadership emerges as self-determination against alien oppression—which actually *strengthens* your larger point. 👉Herbert was warning us about how authoritarianism corrupts even justified resistance movements.👈
The tragedy isn't that Paul is evil; it's that fighting monsters can turn you into one.

Context matters enormously, as you say. But Herbert's genius was showing how *good @orionkidder

intentions* produce terrible outcomes—a more sophisticated critique than simple villainy.

Ultimately, the Litany of Fear itself exemplifies Herbert's central insight: **a tool is only as ethical as its wielder.** The Bene Gesserit developed this mantra as a discipline for mastering fear and maintaining mental clarity—ostensibly a worthy goal. But in their hands, it becomes a mechanism for control and manipulation. This mirrors what researchers studying the Mapuche have @orionkidder

@orionkidder

Thank you.

#Dune and the other original sequels are one of the limited number of books 📚 I have been coming across time and again.

The story is just so way above anything #StarWars (which I also like, but rather for entertainment reasons only has to offer with regard to outer and inner insights, it is really a pitty #FrankHerbert is no longer among us.

But maybe for the better? --Humanity is really--knowingly--pushing Earth 🌍 's climate towards Dune's.