21|09|30 Dune: The Ecology and Religion of a Sci-fi Desert Society | Conversation with philosopher Lisa Doeland and scholar of religion Seth Bledsoe
Dune: The Ecology and Religion of a Sci-fi Desert Society| Conversation with philosopher Lisa Doeland and scholar of religion Seth Bledsoe | Thursday 30 September 2021 | 20.00 – 21.30 hrs | Collegezalencomplex, Radboud University and online
Video | Recensie in Vox: Dune: ‘een toegankelijk epos gemaakt voor het grootste doek’ (also available in English) | Podcast
Announcement - At last, a brand-new film adaptation of the 1959 award-winning sci-fi book Dune will be released mid-September. Set on a desert planet in the distant future, Dune tells the epic tale of a power struggle between two noble families. This seemingly simple plot is laced with an inspiring story on ecology, human progress, and spirituality. What stories do these ecological and religious dimensions of Dune tell? And which lessons can we learn from them today? Go and see Dune for yourself in the cinema and join us a few days later for a conversation with climate philosopher Lisa Doeland and religion scholar Seth Bledsoe on the importance and significance of the desert world of Dune. See the full announcement below.
Aankondiging - Eindelijk komt er medio september een nieuwe verfilming uit van Dune, het prijswinnende sci-fi boek uit 1959. Dune is een indrukwekkend epos over de machtsstrijd tussen twee adellijke families op een woestijnplaneet in de verre toekomst. Tussen de regels van het plot speelt zich een inspirerend verhaal af over ecologie, menselijke vooruitgang en spiritualiteit. Wat is de betekenis van deze ecologische en religieuze dimensies van Dune? Welke lessen kunnen we hier uit trekken? Bekijk Dune zelf in de bioscoop en sluit een paar dagen later aan bij dit gesprek met klimaatfilosoof Lisa Doeland en religiewetenschapper Seth Bledsoe over het belang en de betekenis van woestijnsymboliek in Dune. Zie de volledige aankondigingstekst onderin.
Review - Dune: The Ecology and Religion of a Sci-fi Desert Society
In 1965, the science fiction book Dune was first published. Herbert’s award-winning book was adapted into a film multiple times, but none of the adaptations were successful. It seems however that in 2021, director Denis Villeneuve has finally succeeded in bringing Dune to the big screen. Two themes stand out in the story of Dune: religion and ecology. In this Radboud Reflects programme, Lisa Doeland, climate philosopher at Radboud University, and Seth Bledsoe, scholar of religion at Radboud University, addressed these themes in Dune. After the lectures, philosopher Cees Leijenhorst led the discussion, in which the audience—both online and in the lecture hall—was invited to send in their questions.
The gain of planetary awareness
Lisa Doeland first pointed to the connection between Dune and our own world: “I read the book over last summer, a summer that was plagued by wildfires and floods. That’s the thing with apocalyptic literature: it’s not so much about what is coming, it’s about what is going on already. What has Dune to teach us today?”
According to Doeland, the tale of Dune is a tale of ecology and planetary awareness: “Dune was published in the year that James Lovelock pioneered the idea that Earth is a self-regulating system: the Gaia hypothesis. According to Lovelock, we should think of the Earth as a personified whole. It was also the time of the space race between the USA and the USSR, which explains how the space theme entered the story. Pictures like ‘Earthrise’, taken on the 1968 Apollo 8 mission, have spurred the overview effect: if we look back on Earth from space, you don’t see any boundaries or conflicts. You do see a fragile sphere of life. Astronaut Anders put it as follows: ‘We set out to explore the moon and instead discovered the Earth.’”
“Dune is the first novel concerned with planetary awareness,” said Doeland. “People are faced with a dilemma: on the one hand, they want to terraform the land, but on the other hand, they want to preserve the sandworms that create the valuable spice.” This dilemma is emblematic of the clash between short-term and long-term ecological interests, according to the philosopher.
The myth of the Messiah
Next, scholar Seth Bledsoe took over to discuss the religious themes in Dune. In a 1984 interview, author Frank Herbert said that Dune is religious commentary: Messiahs should come with a label attached that they are dangerous for your health. How should we understand this comment? Bledsoe: “The myth of the Messiah developed in Jewish communities. Eventually God would send a Messiah to restore the ancient throne. The political Messiah was local and direct. But quickly the idea of the Messiah became broader: not only to kick out the evil Romans, but also to kick out all evil people from the entire world. This is an apocalyptic Messiah, cosmic in scale.”
Herbert plays with this idea of a dangerous Messiah, according to Bledsoe: “There is a tension between the personal and intimate on the one hand and the cosmic scale on the other hand. Every decision made by protagonist Paul leads to further conflict.”
How did Paul become the Messiah? Bledsoe stressed that Paul is the Messiah by manufacture; he is the result of a plan to create a genetic crossbreed that will ultimately lead to the perfect human. This ‘Messiah by design’ takes away some of the magic of the Messiah, according to the scholar. Ultimately, what is missing from the world of Dune is a God. There is no divine, at least not in the way we might think of it. Herbert has made humanity the sacred, that which should not be replicated.
The significance of the desert
During the discussion, moderator Cees Leijenhorst wondered about the role of the desert in Dune, and likewise in religion. Bledsoe remarked: “In the Abrahamic religions, the desert is a place of production. In the film too, the desert is a creative space. Contrast this to Egyptian mythology, where the desert or red land is characterised as chaos.” Doeland added: “We now most fear desertification of Earth. But we should ask: what can you do in the desert? Can you build life there? In Dune you can. We should try and find a way to embrace the desert.”
Working towards a common goal
What should we think of the idea of a whole population working towards a common goal, namely transforming Arrakis? Would that be a good idea? Lisa Doeland: “I don’t think so. We should ask: for whom is this goal? Let’s assume we talk about Earth in the future. We are not really concerned with the planet itself; it will still be there. But we are concerned with those living on the planet. You cannot answer the question ‘what’s good for all’, because what’s good for one is not necessarily good for another.” Bledsoe countered: “With the Atreides we see a classic modernist notion of the self. The Fremen however disrupt this notion. You counter against working towards a common goal because it ignores the self, but perhaps that is not a problem for the Fremen way of life.”
By: Thijs Meeuwisse
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Announcement/aankondiging
At last, a brand-new film adaptation of the 1959 award-winning sci-fi book Dune will be released mid-September. Set on a desert planet in the distant future, Dune tells the epic tale of a power struggle between two noble families. This seemingly simple plot is laced with an inspiring story on ecology, human progress, and spirituality. What stories do these ecological and religious dimensions of Dune tell? And which lessons can we learn from them today? Go and see Dune for yourself in the cinema and join us a few days later for a conversation with climate philosopher Lisa Doeland and religion scholar Seth Bledsoe on the importance and significance of the desert world of Dune.
Positive perspective
Climate change is leading us right into a harsh post-apocalyptic world if we must believe the film makers in Hollywood. While environmental concerns are central to Dune as well, the story is significantly less ominous than we are used to from apocalyptic films like Mad Max, Snow Piercer or The Day After Tomorrow. Instead, in Dune, the desert symbolizes a place of new possibilities, spiritual growth, and ecological ingenuity. Rather than the Christian Apocalypse, Dune uses religious desert symbolism to show how, even on a desert planet, fruitful coexistence with nature is possible.
After two short lectures, climate philosopher Lisa Doeland and scholar of religion Seth Bledsoe will engage in a conversation about the religious and ecological significance of Dune. Philosopher Cees Leijenhorst is the moderator. Afterwards, there will also be room for questions from the audience.
This program is in English.
About the speakers
Lisa Doeland is a philosopher at Radboud University. Her PhD research focusses on the philosophy of waste. She also focusses on environmental narratives of doom, gloom, and the Apocalypse. Together with Elize de Mul and Naomi Jacobs she wrote Onszelf voorbij. Kijken naar wat we liever niet zien.
Seth Bledsoe is scholar of religion at Radboud University. His research examines the literary and socio-historical character of ancient Jewish and Christian literature, with particular attention to wisdom and narrative traditions. He also is interested in topics as the apocalypse, religion and violence, and the Dead Sea Scrolls.
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Nederlands
Eindelijk komt er medio september een nieuwe verfilming uit van Dune, het prijswinnende sci-fi boek uit 1959. Dune is een indrukwekkend epos over de machtsstrijd tussen twee adellijke families op een woestijnplaneet in de verre toekomst. Tussen de regels van het plot speelt zich een inspirerend verhaal af over ecologie, menselijke vooruitgang en spiritualiteit. Wat is de betekenis van deze ecologische en religieuze dimensies van Dune? Welke lessen kunnen we hier uit trekken? Bekijk Dune zelf in de bioscoop en sluit een paar dagen later aan bij dit gesprek met klimaatfilosoof Lisa Doeland en religiewetenschapper Seth Bledsoe over het belang en de betekenis van woestijnsymboliek in Dune.
Positieve blik
Als we Hollywood mogen geloven, gaan we door klimaatverandering een barre post-apocalyptische wereld tegemoet. Alhoewel deze ecologische zorgen ook in Dune centraal staan, is het verhaal een stuk minder onheilspellend dan we in apocalyptische films als Mad Max, Snow Piercer of The Day After Tomorrow gewend zijn. In Dune is de woestijn juist een plek van nieuwe mogelijkheden, spirituele groei en ecologische vindingrijkheid. In plaats van de christelijke Apocalyps, gebruikt Dune religieuze woestijn-symboliek om te laten zien hoe we zelfs op een woestijnplaneet duurzaam met de natuur kunnen samenwerken.
Na twee korte lezingen gaan klimaatfilosoof Lisa Doeland en religiewetenschapper Seth Bledsoe in gesprek onder leiding van filosoof Cees Leijenhorst over de religieuze en ecologische betekenis van Dune. Na afloop is er ook ruimte voor vragen uit het publiek.
De voertaal is Engels.
Over de sprekers
Lisa Doeland is filosoof aan de Radboud Universiteit. Ze promoveert op een filosofie van het afval. Daarnaast doet ze onderzoek naar doemdenken en Apocalyptische klimaatnarratieven. Samen met Elize de Mul en Naomi Jacobs schreef ze Onszelf voorbij. Kijken naar wat we liever niet zien.
Seth Bledsoe is godsdienstwetenschapper aan de Radboud Universiteit. Hij onderzoekt het literaire en sociaal-historische karakter van oude joodse en christelijke literatuur, met bijzondere aandacht voor wijsheid en verhalende tradities. Hij is ook geïnteresseerd in onderwerpen als de apocalyps, religie en geweld, en de Dode Zeerollen.
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