A Strange Nexus: Frank Herbert's "Dune," Asamov's "Foundation," and Al Qaeda

In Frank Herbet's sci-fi classic "Dune," the main character Paul takes the tribal name "Usul" which, in the fictional language of the Muslim-like desert nomads of the book, means "the base." This is, of course, the literal English translation of Al Queda: "the base."

Issaic Asamov's science fiction is popular in the Arabic world. The title of his family "Foundation" series in Arabic is translated as "Al Qaeda." (a "base" is also a "foundation.")

TPTB sure love their word games. We also know that many times works of popular fiction and drama are used in mind-control. The Wizard of Oz, for example, is a central pillar of the Project Monarch theories. Assassins like David Hinkley and Mark David Chapman were obsessed with the novel "Catcher in the Rye." More recently, the Batman movies hav played a central role in the Aurora theatre shootings and also in the Las Vegas Wal Mart killings last month.

Regardless of who you think might be behind Al Quaeda, it's interesting that these kinds of paralells exist, and as conspiracy theorists we should perhaps examine the implications. Dune is a very strange book, about a disciplined deep-desert tribe that wages a holy war for their messiah (called, incidentally, the "Madhi" in the book). The Foundation series of Asamov has long been popular in the middle east and is about the establishment of a long-lasting universal empire (parallels to the Caliphate)?

Shall we see where these avenues of speculation may lead?

a reply to: KarensHoliday

DUNE is a very strange series of books. If all you have to go off of is book one, or the movies/sci fi channel series then trust me.. Nothing that happens in those are weird! There are a lot of things in DUNE of interest to look at though.

You already mentioned Usul.

There is also "Arrakis" which sounds like "Iraqis".
The ruler of the known universe is "Shaddam" which sounds like "Suddam".

Actually, in DUNE lore, the Fremin originate from Earth, particularly the Middle East. Hence their Jihad. The Harkonnen originate from Russia. I can't recall the others atm but you can always Dunewiki them.

Frank Herbert said that he took inspiration for his series from the world around him. So it's a small wonder there are parallels with the real world in many ways. In fact almost everything in DUNE is eerily close to many realities, and conspiracy theories, with a sci fi twist added.

I could go on and on and on about DUNE so I'll just stop now!

I do suggest reading them at least up until Frank H. died and his son took over (I can't vouch for those).

a reply to: KarensHoliday

Usul actually means "the strength of the base of the pillar", not just "the base".

a reply to: KarensHoliday

The idea of psychohistory and the Prime Radiant always fascinated me - I always wondered what those equations would look like. There are interactive rooms called VR caves.

www.mechdyne.com...

Since Asimov was familiar with the laws of physics, then the equations from fluid dynamics and reaction-diffusion would seem similar. Then these would be coupled together to model various aspects of civilization; population distribution, then the happiness, wealth, resources and technological advancement of each community. Then these would lead to growth in transport and communication, then military technology and international relations.

I'd imagine these would all combine together into something like the Drake Equation.

And there are software simulations that had been written to model the mood of entire populations of countries.

a reply to: KarensHoliday

I own both story arcs

I think yiu shiuld read them

Yiu are missing a lot

Ask me any questions yiu may have

I have always believed Phillip K Dick's claim that he was visited by the government and asked to place certain things into his works. He said he turned them down and he even wrote the F.B.I. about this. His claim was that other Sci-Fi authors of his time had been asked to do this as well and he knew of some who did not turn down the offer. I would not doubt that Frank Herbert and Asimov would have been people approached in this manner.

Asimov's foundation would be more accurately described as a center for learning rather than a"base". A more correct term in Arabic would be madrasa in my opinion.

a reply to: Montana


Which foundation?

The first or second?

a reply to: Another_Nut

Both, of course. They focused on different types of learning but they were both reservoirs of knowledge. Not pillar bases.

a reply to: Montana

I would say that the first was a pillar. The base of the pillar that was to be the the second empire. It was a repository for much of the physical knowledge of the empire but it was missing half the story.mentalics .

The second was neithera pillar nor a a place of learning. It was a shadow government. Tptb. A place of secrets . A place never to show the common man.

And lets not forget they were both considered wrong by the author who instead voted for galaxia

originally posted by: NihilistSanta
I have always believed Phillip K Dick's claim that he was visited by the government and asked to place certain things into his works. He said he turned them down and he even wrote the F.B.I. about this. His claim was that other Sci-Fi authors of his time had been asked to do this as well and he knew of some who did not turn down the offer. I would not doubt that Frank Herbert and Asimov would have been people approached in this manner.

.

Hmm. This might explain Robert A. Heinlein's militaristic anti-commie works (he was an ex-US Navy officer I believe, so he might have written so on his own).

I doubt Harlan Ellison would be on board (lol).

a reply to: KarensHoliday

..Dune, eh?
check this out one day
bring a shovel

originally posted by: works4dhs

originally posted by: NihilistSanta
I have always believed Phillip K Dick's claim that he was visited by the government and asked to place certain things into his works. He said he turned them down and he even wrote the F.B.I. about this. His claim was that other Sci-Fi authors of his time had been asked to do this as well and he knew of some who did not turn down the offer. I would not doubt that Frank Herbert and Asimov would have been people approached in this manner.

.

Hmm. This might explain Robert A. Heinlein's militaristic anti-commie works (he was an ex-US Navy officer I believe, so he might have written so on his own).

I doubt Harlan Ellison would be on board (lol).

Heinlein was a pretty big guy on individual rights and responsibilities (hence the hostility towards Communism), and his later works involved stuff that even libertine society would sort of blink at, let alone government or mainstream of his time.

a reply to: WakeUpBeer

Actually fremen dont originate on earth

The only religion to survive from earth is Judaism