For those unfamiliar the Dune series, the Butlerian Jihad was a crusade against “thinking machines”. Ultimately computers, and intelligent or thinking machines, even down to calculators are destroyed and banned. Humans who are trained in complex mental maths become known as Mentats, a sort of human computer. Just, uhh, leave all that shit on Bene Tleilax, with their Axalotl Tanks out of it.

Edit: had wrong planet name. IX -> Bene Tleilax

  • Logi@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    Since we’re talking sci-fi, this is Asimov in 1980:

    There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that ‘my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.

    • daannii@lemmy.world
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      17 hours ago

      It’s even still a rhetoric I hear by other leftist. I get that the cost of a higher education is a scam. But the education is not.

      I also genuinely believe that humans have a lot of intellectual potential but that most never get to reach that.

      Early life obstacles. Lack of opportunities. Lack of motivation.

      These keep the people stupid and docile.

      I rarely meet people who like to just learn things for the sake of learning.

      I have 3 nieces and a nephew. Only the nephew is interested in many things.

      The nieces couldn’t care less and spend their time on their phones watching 5 second videos about nothing.

      No attention span. No motivation to do anything.

      It’s quite sad. My nephew is the youngest. And I hope I don’t see him shift to the same patterns.

    • teyrnon@sh.itjust.works
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      2 days ago

      While there may be some truth in that, I don’t think it’s accurate to say it’s always been there as such, in fact I believe it didn’t really start in it’s current form until 1971 or so, by design, although it existed before as it does elsewhere, that was the turning point, where big business huddled up and made a long game to seize power, project 2025 is just the recent iteration of that game plan, formed initially by the Business Roundtable.

      • GaMEChld@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        I mean we burned witches in the dark ages right, so the behavior dates back at least as far as that.