A running index of things I've found, read, listened to, or played that left a mark. Instead of highly polished reviews, these are just raw notes on why something felt interesting or important at the time I encountered it.
Something that I interpret from Paul's arc is that rather than questioning whether a person has superhuman abilities and if that makes them worthy of admiration, DUNE attempts to question power and the level of responsibility with which people wield it. In Paul's case, he used it for vengeance and personal motives, such as protecting his family and loved ones. He manipulated the people to do his bidding because he knew that those who saw him as a god would follow him and obey him blindly.
I don't think Paul having all these qualities is the critique Frank Herbert is making here, but rather the way people use them, and how powerful people can fall into the temptation of manipulating and oppressing. I think it's also a commentary on us as humans—how we can also fall into blindly following people who have ulterior motives but create a facade to deceive us so they can manipulate us to their advantage. So it is both a critique of powerful/charismatic leaders and of the 'followers'.
What I really love about Denis’s cinematic trilogy is that each has its own identity. Part One was contemplative and an introduction to the universe; Part Two was action-filled and the rise of the protagonist; Part Three looks to be a thriller focused on the consequences of the protagonist’s actions. Paul fell from nobility, rose as a revolutionary, then fell again from sovereignty. His arc is very intriguing.
Currently reading László Krasznahorkai's travelogue through China. It is a bleak but mesmerizing look at the erasure of classical culture by rapid, state-sponsored modernization. As someone studying human-centered design, the book is a sharp reminder that "progress" and "infrastructure" are not inherently neutral—they can be violent forces of homogenisation. Krasznahorkai's obsession with what is permanently lost in the pursuit of the new makes you reconsider the actual cost of building the future.