One of the things I love about Dune is that there are so many really good quotes that you can pull from it. Even though it was written in 1965, the material can easily be applied to our lives today. One of my favorite quotes is from the beginning of the book. The Reverend Mother says that, "once men turned their thinking over to machines in hopes that this would set them free. But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them" (11). I can't help but see our reliance on technology and the people that create it in this. I mean you can go to a restaurant and see tons of people on their smart phones instead of having actual conversations with each other, or if you don't know something you can google it on your phone. The tablet is another piece of technology that has really changed our lives. It's another thing that I'll see at restaurants. What's funny is that most are on Facebook. We've become enslaved to technology. I wonder if we, as a society, could give it all up. What do the rest of you think about this quote? What is one of your favorite quotes and why? I can't wait to see what you guys have to say.
148 Comments
Kieran Smith
7/12/2015 11:41:17 am
1. I totally agree with the analysis you have, but I feel as though the quote has a literal meaning that has just as much pertinence today. The quote itself was a reference towards the Artificial Intelligence that ruled the Dune universe (The Duniverse) for a period of time. Back in 1965, this was a sci-fi prospect, and one that that nobody truly expected to see in their lifetime, but now we are facing imminent AI technology. The debate nowadays follows the same guidelines. Many believe that this new intelligence will open up millions of doors that we humans could not have discovered on our own – “...in the hopes that it would set them free”. Others argue that AI cannot be controlled and could inevitably lead to the end of mankind – “permitted other men with machines to enslave them”.
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Smrithi Ramachandran
7/13/2015 02:16:13 am
I had the same thought while reading the book. I have the whole horoscope philosophy to answer your question. I see Princess Irulan's chapter quotes are vague yet pertinent enough to apply to the following chapter's content. It's what you make of what you read. For instance, the very first chapter has one of her quotes as the unofficial introduction of the setting and characters. Following her blurb is the actual exposition, which correlates with her words. However, as I got to the third book within Dune, Princess Irulan was officially introduced as a separate character. In that sense, her blurbs at the start of each chapter seemed to play a part in her character development, as well as create an overarching sentiment to the themes Herbert emphasizes in the story. As mentioned before, her words are vague enough to serve as their own reflections of the applicable themes Herbert wanted to expose to an unaware audience.
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Stella Ji
7/15/2015 07:37:34 am
I think it's interesting how the readers are unaware of who Princess Irulan actually is until the very end of the story. It almost makes the audience question her reliability. While her sections add valuable insight to the characters and the time period, I feel as if for the most part they were a separate part altogether. They provided background knowledge not necessarily specifically pertaining to what Herbert writes in the following chapter. Sometimes the quotes give the details that are needed for the reader to grasp a better understanding of the time period, but for the most part I feel as if they aren't specific enough to describe that individual chapter.
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Luca Tomescu
7/28/2015 03:32:02 am
The reveal of Princess Irulan is actually one of my favorite parts of the book, and it presents one of the best examples of how Herbert poses questions to his readers and then satisfies them with his answers later on. For the vast majority of the book, all we can really do is trust Princess Irulan's word because she seems to have written quite a few books about Paul and should therefore be quite knowledgable about him and his life. Of course, we have no idea how she knows him so well until she is revealed at the very end. She will come to know him will in the future as his wife, and I especially enjoyed how Paul even states that the Princess Irulan will be spending a lot of time on her writing because Paul will care more for Chani than for her.
Gabrielle Humphrey
8/24/2015 01:12:01 pm
I completely agree with you on this Stella. I found Princess Irulan's quotes to be one of the most intriguing aspects of the novel. It was especially clever of Herbert to integrate her into the story without giving her a direct role in the action. Looking back at some of the quotes it's fascinating to realize the way in which she offers us crucial insight to a character we assume she has no direct connection to, but one she is fated to marry. They truly provoked the level of thought that was necessary for the reader to begin thinking about the action, but also motifs in each chapter which contributed to the overall themes. I particularly found it helpful and interesting to go back and read her quotes after completing the chapter to reflect on her messages. For example, in book two (page 352) she explains Muad'Dib's abilities through the metaphor of literal sight. In comparing his power to see clearly into the future with one's line of sight without light, in their own "valley", she finds a way to describe to the reader Paul's personal experiences as a detached narrator. I found information such as this to be especially helpful while mysterious in an appealing way.
Marwan Madi
8/22/2015 04:17:48 am
I agree with the quote and your analysis of it. It is pretty sad to see how many people are slaves to their phones these days. Even in places where cell phones are required to be turned off such as libraries and certain mosques there are still multiple people who can be seen texting on their phones or checking Facebook and the like. It's kind of funny how people use social media to become more social where a lot of the time they end up seeming anti-social. Then again, technology is what we make of it. When utilized properly, technology has clear benefits and can definitely improves people's lives. As a society we seem to have become dependent on it (We're submitting our summer homework online...), and honestly I don't think we would be able to give it all up. Besides cell phones and the like, technology is what allows us to have such an abundant supply of relatively cheap food and safe housing. Without technology we would not be as civilized as we are today, and it doesn't seem like people would ever want to give up many of the luxuries they take for granted.
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Chandni Patel
8/23/2015 01:26:02 pm
My favorite quote is “With everything that has happened to you, you can either feel sorry for yourself or treat what has happened as a gift. Everything is either an opportunity to grow or an obstacle to keep you from growing. You get to choose" by Wayne Dyer. The quote forces you not to make yourself feel as a victim when a tragedy occurs. However, you can use that tragedy as an opportunity to better yourself and grow from that tragedy to achieve success.
Albert Chen
8/24/2015 09:46:47 am
"I only hope we never lose sight of one thing - it was all started by a mouse."- Walt Disney
Gabrielle Humphrey
8/24/2015 01:32:21 pm
I have to admit this question is especially difficult for me to answer because I have a hard time picking “favorites”, but if I had to choose one it would be the following by Mark Twain: “Any emotion is sincere, is involuntary.” This quote speaks volumes to me because I feel like it indirectly says a lot about society’s obsessions with control over every aspect of their lives, down to even the emotions they feel. What should be raw and authentic, often turn into intentionally manipulated versions of what we think we should feel rather than what we do. I firmly believe that emotions shouldn’t be forced on oneself of others. If something doesn’t make you genuinely happy, then there is no reason to feel as though you should be. The same goes for any type of emotion whether it be positive, negative, or something in-between. Rather than being so consumed with the idea of what we should be and should feel think it’s important to live without unnecessary pressure. Emotions are meant to be spontaneous and what constitutes who we are as humans and individuals.
Konan Mirza
8/25/2015 09:41:52 am
One of my all time favorite quotes is “Confidence is ignorance. If you're feeling cocky, it's because there's something you don't know.” This is from the book Artemis Fowl. The reason i like this quote is primarily because of who it is coming from. In the book, Artemis is supposed to be a boy genius and one the most intelligent people to ever live. Despite this, he makes sure not to think too highly of himself for it will make him weak. It reminds me to stay humble, and in my opinion sends a good message
Brittany Xiao
8/25/2015 12:59:19 pm
What a coincidence - I just decided on a favorite quote today. My favorite quote at the moment is "You must be prepared to to work always without applause" by Ernest Hemingway. Oftentimes, I think I forget the real reason why I am working hard, and I become discouraged when no one knows how much effort I put into something. However, this is an unhealthy way of thinking because the thing I am working hard for should be my motivator rather than other people (often not even loved ones) noticing me, and I should not heavily rely on others. In addition, this causes me to get too caught up in trying to announce how hard I worked.
Rithica Deepak
8/25/2015 02:56:43 pm
I also believe that technology is a great thing when used properly. There are many benefits that most people don't think about such as the speed of building houses. With the use of great machinery people are able to build houses like a stack of cards. We as humans are constantly dependent on technology in very unique ways.
Vivan Kothari
8/26/2015 09:18:58 am
I have many favorite quotes that I can think of, but one that stands out comes from Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean:
Andrea Rosales
8/26/2015 12:13:32 pm
I totally agree, as I type this on my MacBook, that humanity is enslaved by technology. Of course there are numerous benefits and its crazy how fast our world is changing and evolving to “human want.” I am guilty of being that person on her phone but I always try to never be on my phone while someone talks. (Common courtesy) On the other hand, if we as a society had to give it all up, I am not sure how some people would function at all. But, we have to remember that not long ago, many people did not have computers or laptops much less cell phones and I pads. One of my favorite quotes is “Peace is always beautiful” by the brilliant Walt Whitman. I literally love all of Walt’s quotes and what he stood for.
Ayo Shonowo
8/27/2015 05:01:57 am
"The secret to change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new." -Socrates
Albert Chen
8/27/2015 07:34:28 am
"I only hope we never lose sight of one thing - it was all started by a mouse."- Walt Disney
Nithin Kakulavaram
8/27/2015 08:24:12 am
Great post Marwan. In regards to your question, my favorite quote of all time is message from John F. Kennedy, “Things do not happen. Things are made to happen.” This quote is very sentimental to me because it illustrates the philosophy that has been imposed throughout my childhood as well as current day. In order to achieve any goal in life, you have to chase it and work hard towards it, instead of being lethargic by sitting at home constantly dreaming about your future and idealizing individuals who have achieved your set goal. Almost every time I meet with family my aunts and uncles are relentlessly telling me to work harder and that hard work will eventually pay off, but until recently I haven’t fully understood what that meant. Now after seeing their successes and being exposed to different situations, I know the meaning of this quote and it is something everyone should live by.
Shaheen Khimani
8/27/2015 11:56:40 am
I was faced with great difficulty when trying to answer this question because I don't really have one favorite quote. I have an endless list of quotes that I love and can relate too. A majority of them are my source of inspiration and motivation. Here's one of the my many cherished quotes that I'd like to share with you: "It sneaks up on you, but one day you look at your life and it has a purpose, and all of a sudden the time and pain it took you to get there doesn't matter anymore." This is a quote from One Tree Hill, one of the best shows of all time. OTH is filled with life lessons and moral teachings. To me, this quote specifically means that sometimes it feels like your life has no meaning, but you'll reach a point where you'll find your way and none of your pain from the past will seem to matter anymore. I look to this quote when I'm feeling lost and empty and it helps spark hope within me.
Hannah Nöelle Johnson
8/27/2015 01:24:22 pm
One of my favorite quotes is from my all-time favorite show, "One Tree Hill". When a couple of the female main characters made a work-related trip to Costa Rica, they got to experience the socioeconomic hierarchy and how both the rich and they poor live. One of the main characters, named Quinn James, was amazed at how ignorant people were or the fact that nothing was being done to unite the two groups, and improve living circumstances. She stated that "Sometimes it strikes me how poverty and privileged became silent neighbors, and the world keeps going because it has to". As a founder of a non-profit organization, I can relate to Quinn's statement because, like her, I see the need for change and will act to make a difference.
This quote reminds me of the bread and circuses of the years near the collapse of the Roman Empire, meant to distract the populous from the political corruption and weakening of the state, with fighting pits and other such games. Although now, we have machines to take up our time and keep us busy with mindless tasks and goals, while those in charge can do what they like, without fear of a negative response from the public.
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In response to Kieran's question, I believe that all of Princess Irulan’s quotes pertain to the subsequent chapter or the novel as a whole, in one way or another. If not for the reader what other purpose would they have in this eight hundred page monstrosity? Utilized to provide background information, the princess’s quote, function as the reader’s guide, in unison with the narrator, to cover all details of Arrakis, and leave no stone unturned. Told from the future, Herbert selects an interesting perspective for the princess, one who knows more than all the characters in the novel because she is from the future, the perfect guide for the audience that knows nothing.
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Alex Wong
8/27/2015 12:32:59 pm
The quote "People need hard times and oppression to develop psychic muscles" (162) is relevant throughout the entire novel. Because of the challenges he faced, we can see Paul grow as a character and leader. This quote also preceded the scene where Paul and Jessica are bound and brought to the Baron Harkonnen. It is also relevant in this "chapter" of the book because the stresses that faced the house of Atreides is ultimately what allows Jessica and Paul to go free due to Jessica's Bene Gesserit training. Princess Irulan's quotes foreshadow both the following chapter and the novel as a whole.
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Hannah Nöelle Johnson
8/27/2015 01:15:23 pm
1) I concur with your analysis for the most part. It is insane how dependent we are on our cell phones- almost as they are our sense of security. However, I believe that the reason why this is so, just so happens to be that technology means something slightly different now than it did back then. When the author wrote about how "once men turned their thinking over to machines in hopes that this would set them free. But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them" (11), he only had the knowledge about technology at the time when the technological revolution had just begun; however, technology revolutionizes everyday, so we can expect for a big differences in our technology, the amount of it we posses, and the number of benefits it brings by comparing modern-day technology to technology in 1965. Perhaps people are more dependent on hat technology for what it can do for them nowadays. One intelligent teacher once mentioned his skepticism about whether controversial events, such as school shooting, never occurred, or whether he was blinded be the lack of social media at the time. Technology connects us to current events and enables us to share ideas. So no, i do not believe that we can give up having the whole world at our fingertips. So while the quote provides a valid view to technological advances at the time, these days the positive effects of technology far outweigh the way it impacts us negatively. Therefore, I would not consider technology to by "enslaving", but freeing in a sense.
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Hannah Nöelle Johnson
8/27/2015 01:32:09 pm
Ignore Number two. That was to answer Marwan's previous question. My favorite quote from "Dune" is "'I must not fear. Fear is the mind killer. Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration. i will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain'"(page 12). Fear is something that we all must face, but it is how you face it that allows you to express who you are. You can chose to use fear for personal advancement, or to succumb to it. No matter what we chose, it is up to us. We have the final say. This quote embodies that which is why I like it so much.
Luca Tomescu
7/14/2015 02:07:52 pm
1. I completely agree with your description and elaboration of the Reverend Mother's quote because I think all of those things to myself on a regular basis! It's actually quite sad how consumed most people are with their cellular devices, so consumed, in fact, that they miss a great deal of the life going on all around them. I have seen entire families sitting down at a restaurant (and countless other places) just tapping away at their smartphones. The truly ironic aspect to this conundrum is that most of the people preoccupied with their phones are doing so to be social. The vast majority of them are on Facebook, keeping up with other people's lives. Another common cellular activity at the dinner table is instant messaging, which fulfills the same purpose of making people feel like they have friends and are loved. For some odd reason, we prefer interacting with people over wireless communication even when our friends are right in front of us. In a way, messaging is much more convenient and easy on us because it doesn't require us to utilize body language or even show emotion because all the other person sees is the text we type. This poor habit has made us lazy, and it makes me fear for future generations.
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Smrithi Ramachandran
7/15/2015 02:51:29 am
I read this maybe a month or two ago and it's similar to your article:
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Sri Sridhar
7/21/2015 08:28:24 am
It is extremely annoying when you are trying to have a conversation with someone but they are constantly on their phone. It has happened several times and the worst part is when he or she shows a picture of someone, who is completely irrelevant to our conversation, but fails to answer the question I asked. And even though I love reading a book on my Kindle, you have to admit that reading an actual book and flipping actual pages carries it's own pleasure. So yes, although technology helps us to save paper, for some things, I would prefer to hold an actual paper and make markings with my pen and highlighter, instead of holding a tablet. It's pretty upsetting to see people without emotions and to express their feeling through text and emojis. I just wish people would actually laugh instead of saying "LOL". Laughing helps you live longer too, man and it can just make one's day so much brighter.
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Ayo Shonowo
8/27/2015 05:17:54 am
I agree with Sri, holding a paper copy of a book does have its own significance. We all grew up with paperbacks and hardcovers, but nowadays when you see someone on their tablet at a cafe, you can't know what they're doing. If a person was reading a paper copy of a book you like, that's a conversation starter in itself. Its how people interact with others and the world around them. Undoubtebly there is along list of conveniences that come with having such advanced technology like a smartphone in the palm of your hand, for example, this blog. I could be reading and replying to posts on my way home, which saves time, instead of getting home and taking so much time to turn on the computer. Technology is all about convenience, but there is a line to be crossed. One of those lines, as Sri mentioned, is ignoring someone who is attempting to make a connection with you.
Maggie Cheung
8/14/2015 02:18:16 am
If you go to the movie theatre nowadays, a large amount of movies that you would find use the concept of artificial intelligence as one of the main issues in the movie. There's a good guy and a bad guy, the bad guy creates some type of powerful machine army controlled by him that is slightly reminiscent of an entity that can think and feel for itself. Bad guy doesn't realize how dangerous it is (or does realize and accepts it). The world comes dangerously close to ending. Good guy defeats bad guy army and saves everyone. In each of these movies, one of the lessons learned is how dangerous artificial intelligence can be. While we hope that people would be more responsible in real life, it is difficult to know what will happen if AI was to truly progress. On the other hand, mankind has advanced tremendously in terms of technology and the way we are able to help people. AI has the potential to transform the world of medicine and ability for people to benefit from it. The weight of the unknown of what AI could do to our very existence is why artificial intelligence should be approached with much caution, though I do agree that it should be approached to begin with.
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Skyler Williams
8/23/2015 02:35:38 am
It is true that nowadays people care more about their reputation on social media than on their interactions with people around them. It's almost as though some people try to live their lives through Facebook or Snapgram or whatever. However, Luca brings up a key point that while this is true, technology has done amazing things. It has made life more efficient, comfortable, and simple. So which is the greater power: the good aspects of helpful technology, or the society controlling portion of it?
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Rushabh Mehta
8/24/2015 07:59:17 am
I have thought often of how AI could define the end to the mankind, and I still do, but recently I have come across a different perspective on the entire idea. With civilization, there is little need for the human race to evolve, we have everything we need at our disposal, we do not need to adapt to stay alive really. But this creates a break in the chain of evolution, which we have never known to end besides when a species is extinct. I have recently come across the idea of AI as something different though. Credit to Ultron from the Marvel universe when he claims to be building Vision to save mankind, despite attempting to end it. Vision, Ultron claims, is the evolution of mankind, rather than its end. Science suggests that the homo sapiens were wiped out by homo homo sapiens (Us) , could it be possible that due to the end of classic evolution, we create our evolution in the form of AI and in turn it destroys us? This is theoretical of course.
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Jesse Chao
8/27/2015 11:57:36 am
It's interesting because right now humans may not NEED any new evolution, but there is always the possibility to become more. The ability to live longer, need less food and energy, need less sleep, be able to fly, and many other things that are conveniences that expand what a person can do. The idea of AI is to create a self thinking machine that can act as an organism without needing biological parts. The problem to this idea is that, programs are made to end and need infinite possibilities to be factored, past this, there are other questions that pose a problem like how it will learn, what will it do with it's knowledge, what will it spend it's free time doing? What causes it to be motivated to be alive. The possibilities of the brain are endless and to an extent, we don't know much about it because our brains are limited. A machine wouldn't have these limits, there wouldn't be anyway for the machine to stop if it could process thinking like a human. We are limited by emotions, animistic instincts, lifespan, mistakes that are made. Machine works like they are made to work, so long as the first fully functional AI is able to work perfectly like a human, there will be not stop, the AI no longer needs humans, it can improve itself, learn by itself, and create by itself. So yes, the creation of fully functional AI would mean humans would be obsolete and perhaps destroyed.
Stella Ji
7/14/2015 03:09:15 pm
1. I think that even though the quote reflects our society today quite perfectly, it also shows how much worse the situation has gotten since the publication of the book. If Hebert already felt the need to address such an issue fifty years ago, god knows what he would say about our reliance on technology today. Throughout the twentieth century technology was evolving so rapidly that it certainly must have felt immensely overwhelming. The Cold War pit the Soviet Union and the United States against each other in an arms race and space race which in turn forced each nation to quickly develop the biggest and strongest invention possible. It was a century of chaos and Hebert’s feelings towards certain topics resonate throughout Dune.
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Jonathan Wang
7/16/2015 09:02:10 am
1. I find the given quote to still be representative throughout human history and most likely into the future not only through our use of mobile devices, but also through past inventions. Our urge for control and power over others can be seen to manipulate objects with hopeful to malicious intents. Take for example the famous light bulb that allowed illumination for seeing during night time. While this revolutionary technology seemed to give us freedom to maneuver within the night, the atrocities found in the book "The Jungle" where corporate power virtually enslaved workers into terrible work-spaces was amplified with the same technology. While our increasingly many new gadgets may seem to bring in beneficial effects, these same objects also bring an underlying effect that feeds the power-lust of certain people.
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Brandon Pham
8/25/2015 02:49:17 pm
I agree with your interpretation of the quote: "He who controls the spice controls the universe". In this day and age, money is king. It is one of the only things that can get different nations to cooperate through trade and promise of wealth. However, I believe your interpretation of the quote is a bit narrow. Spice could represent any resource that brings power with it. For example, Blood Diamonds. These diamonds mined in a war zone are used to fund insurgencies and armaments. The side with the most control on the diamonds will have the superior killing potential. Another example would be the power of technology. Think of the Arab-Israeli War. It was Israel vs 5 other Middle Eastern countries. Yet Israel won and even expanded, due to their more modern weaponry brought by US support.
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Ching Liuhuang
8/27/2015 01:24:15 pm
The quote does indeed represent the early development of technology as well as the present and future of technology. I also agree with your mention of some people utilizing technology with malicious intent, much like the development of nuclear and hydrogen warheads. On the other hand, the quote you defined does have an allegory to money as in the modern world, money does seem like power. However, the spice is mined from the ground and refined into multiple products, actually better represents crude oil in our world. The fact that all the countries on earth rely on oil and are willing to invade for oil makes it a better allegory and comparison, just like how every planet wants spice from Dune.
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Smrithi Ramachandran
7/17/2015 03:00:36 am
1. I'd hate to be a pessimist here, but I really think that our society is incapable of reverting back to simpler, "pre-technological" times. Think about what all we use technology for. I'm on the computer right now, and this blog itself is a much faster way to communicate with a larger number of people. Technology is useful! It's easier. Despite our race's intelligence and capability to progress so rapidly, we inadvertently resort to convenience and comfort. That's what I think the Reverend Mother was referring to in the first half of her quote. The second part about our enslavement is what we see today - a heavy dependence and rising culture that prioritizes technology because of its convenience. Parents who are too busy to spend time with their children find games on tablets and phones to serve as an equivalent to that interpersonal relationship they should be making. Games and such entertainment are easier to give out. Apart from that, it is a human tendency to reshape and remold society. Advancements are favored, because the idea to create a utopia has transcended throughout time for so long (although I'm pretty sure the Puritans didn't have iPhones and Twitter when they were advertising their city upon a hill).That utopian ideal embodies improving people and communities, and technology has just been a way to facilitate that ideal. Think about how information gets across the other side of the country, or the world for that matter. The introduction and widespread usage of radios and television emerged around the time Dune was written in. Sports entertainment, fashion and culture, social media, even religion itself have magnified intensely due to these advancements. Technology defines the world we live in, which is why there's really no escape from it. It's always one step ahead.
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Emily Frazee
8/22/2015 09:54:45 am
I agree with your statement about society not being able to undo or backtrack from the rapid growth and use of technology. It is indeed convenient and now a "necessity" for our faster processing generation (or so we believe), but I think what stops society from being able to limit or discontinue the use of technology most, is how widespread it has become. We are used to the easier, faster method of communicating and obtaining knowledge, yes, but that's not the biggest problem we face in our technological era. I believe that there are so many conflicting views on technology in the world, that no matter what consensus an individual comes to about the negative effects of technology, there will be another individual to believe in the expansion and overuse of technology. It becomes almost impossible to stop the overgrowing amount of people who must live with high-tech phones and, even, appliances, when there can be no agreement in such a diverse world of diverse minds and diverse ways of living.
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Madison McClendon
8/22/2015 08:03:48 pm
I must agree with Smrithi, society as a whole, has grown around technology. The level of integration is so extensive that to kill the one, you would kill the other. However grim that may seem, I believe one of the major points Herbert tried to convey in Dune is the resiliency of the human race, however "off course" we become, nature has a way of realigning itself. So while society may not be able to survive the destruction of technology, people, I believe, could. That distinction, between society and the individual, is one that is so crucial, that is may one day be our saving grace. As Dune shows, sometimes all it takes is one individual to reshape a society. Maybe someday someone will find a way to cure us of our tech-addiction.
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Srisanvitha Sridhar (Sri)
7/21/2015 08:02:38 am
- The quote definitely depicts the reality of our society, today and personally I think it is pretty disappointing, The arrival of technology completely revolutionized the world but unfortunately, in a negative manner. Though, there are several positive factors attached to it, technology has completely destroyed us, as it controls most of our activities throughout the day. Even though social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, had the primary affect on our daily life, technology stimulated the corruption of our mind and body as we are all attached with our smartphones and tablets. If you really think about it, life was pretty simple (or at least, less complicated) before the arrival of technology. Don't get me wrong. I completely love the idea of smart phones but what people fail to understand is the true purpose of technology. The role of technology and many of its tools is to convey information but it is not the only means of communication. When I was a kid, I would physically go outside and do some physical activities like running with physical people, playing with physical people, and talking with physical people. However, it is upsetting to witness children playing on their iPads and tablets rather than doing any physical activity. I can confidently state that I found my true happiness when a person compliments me in person rather than counting my likes on Facebook or Instagram. It is pretty sad to define happiness based on the likes or comments that you on social media. What if you accidentally deleted your Facebook or Instagram? Permanently? Life would be pretty tragic because all the happiness that was stored in all your photos vanished. And the frightening part in this is that, it could happen to anyone and at any time. However, I like to be optimistic and therefore believe that if we could go back in our past and appreciate the technology-free environment we were surrounded by, we could stop being a slave to our phone and prohibit it from corrupting us.
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Kalpana Vaidya
7/26/2015 08:17:07 am
1. As everyone else has said as well, this quote I think epitomizes our society today. In many ways, the advancements in technology have been amazing achievements, such as in the medical field in which we are able to save millions of lives. However, there also come the consequences with every advancement. For the most part, almost everyone you will meet will have a smart phone, or at least a good majority. For our grandparents or even our parents, this type of technology is almost an otherworldly concept. I can remember playing with my parents’ old cell phones that did not even have a screen to see if you were typing in the correct number. Still, technology has become an integral part of our society. I do not think that our society would be able to function without it which is a sad concept to consider. With all of this new technology, it makes it easier for use to interact without actually having to be in person, which for family and friends that live thousands of miles away is quite useful. However, it is not quite appropriate for the person sitting to your right. I think that some people in our generation have started to lose some of those pertinent social skills that we only learn from person-to-person interaction. Still, if we can limit ourselves, then I think we have a chance to prevent technology from “enslaving” us.
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Amy Chen
7/29/2015 12:16:08 am
1. The world we live in today has definitely become one that is dependent on electronics and machinery. We are surrounded with smart phones, smart watches, and the industry is constantly upgrading their products to keep the society wanting more as companies reign in the revenue. Nowadays it is seen as "surprising" when a kid wants to do something other than watch TV or play on an electronic device. A news report from a couple days ago highlighted the story of a boy from Utah who asked a mail carrier for any leftover junk mail that he could read. His request went viral, as people who saw the boy and his humble wish were refreshed to see someone born in the digital age asking for books to read instead of asking for video games or electronics to play with. (Here is the article link for anyone who wishes to read it: http://7online.com/society/boy-reading-junk-mail-gets-thousands-of-books-after-mailmans-plea-goes-viral/885910/ ) Even as I was reading this article, it was inspiring to see this boy have the desire to read as many books as he can while he grows up, not to have the most electronics. This story accentuates the pervasiveness of technology in our society; an object of which we have become "enslaved" to, as said by the Reverend Mother. I totally agree with Smrithi's comment, that there is no probable way that developed societies can turn back from the efficiency and usefulness of communication from afar. It is ingrained in our society as privileged Americans, and I don't think there is a way to completely rid ourselves of technology even if we wanted to.
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Alvaro Iglesias
8/2/2015 06:55:43 am
1. I completely agree with how our society is much too reliant on technology. On one hand, professionals use technology to make every day life easier for those who can afford it. On the other, people buy and use this technology everyday, and truly believe that they couldn't survive without it. It says that the consumers of the products (even those who invent the technology themselves) have become slaves to their own creation. I would hope that in a time of necessity that people could give technology up (in an energy crisis or something similar), but I'm afraid that it would take apocalyptic circumstances for that to happen. I would have a very difficult time giving the easy life up myself.
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Abigail Cloudy
8/3/2015 08:59:55 am
1. This quote, while it does point out the dangers of technology, it also highlights the true enemy in the situation, man. The quote says that men get enslaved by “other men” and while it is technology that allows those men to enslave the others, at the core of the situation it is still men against men. This quote highlights the fact that we are our own worst enemies. We create new technologies in the hopes of improving society, but end up only creating more dangers for ourselves. This quote also highlights how humans, instead of being united, is a species that is willing to hurt its own kind for personal gain.
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Kerry Furman
8/3/2015 10:12:11 am
1. I do agree with your interpretation and extension of the quote. However, when Reverend Mother said the machines "enslaved" men, I think we could relate that to how strong our sense of trust in machines/social media really is. 50 years ago, we did not have the internet to get bombarded with all of these news sources who now can be false by any measure. We are enslaved by these devices because, put simply, we as a people have become lazy and don't really look for in depth articles on current events past the typing of a key word in the google search bar or don't look into the right sources. But also, with time unbiased reporting has been a dream not achieved fully. We are constantly exposed to others opinions which, sometimes unfortunately, can change ours.
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Maggie Cheung
8/3/2015 01:10:55 pm
1. I do agree with the fact that modern technology has "enslaved" us, though we might not completely realize the extent to which this is true. However, machines and the like were not obviously developed with the intent of hurting or inhibiting our behavior in our everyday lives, but were created in order to try and improve or better society. If we were to ever "give it all up", the argument will always stand that we got rid of machines and technology that could potentially save lives or only benefit humans positively. Though being enslaved to our technology is seemingly only becoming more dangerous to ourselves, I don't believe that we could give it all up with how far we've advanced in technology so far. The Reverend Mother's quote does fit in with our society today, but she does mention that we are allowing "other men" to then enslave us, which is an interesting way to look at the issue if applied to modern times. Other men enslaving us then brings the notion that we no longer have control over ourselves and our actions, a concept of almost "being at mercy" that most humans do not like to embrace.
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Andrew Zheng
8/3/2015 01:41:13 pm
1. In our modern world that we live in today, we are absolutely surrounded by machines and not just ones that provide entertainment or serve as irrelevant gadgets, but machines that provide additional industrial power for factories, machines that provide essential monitoring to guard the lives of our families and loved ones. These facts are able to demonstrate how machinery can be used positively for the improvement of human problems. Yet, as the quote provided describes, the machines very much have the ability to "enslave" us humans who are so easily swayed by the notion of an easier life. I believe that although overuse of machines can eventually lead to a dangerously incompetent future for humans, machines still provide many indispensable services towards solving many of humanities problems.
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Caitlyn Wingerson
8/7/2015 08:18:14 am
1. Technology, for better or worse, has become a deeply ingrained part of our society and we would not be able to function without it. While a majority of people freely allow their machines to think for them, people still need to make these machines. As a group gives up all ability to think for themselves, they become sheep, mindlessly following those who created the machines, allowing enslavement (whether they realize it or not) to ensue. The movie Wall-E displays a population of people who are dependent on technology for their very survival. Without those suspending chairs carrying them all over the place, they would just uselessly flop around because they don't have enough muscle to support their body. These people are mindless sheep at the mercy of those who created the technology that allowed them to live this sort of life style. At the rate society is progressing, the society of lazy lumps displayed in Wall-E could be a reality. However, that grim reality can be counteracted if we use and develop technology responsibly.
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Melinda Cloudy
8/8/2015 04:06:52 am
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Danielle Edmonds
8/10/2015 07:55:03 am
1. In my opinion, there is even more truth to the quote today than when it was written by Herbert, as our reliance on technology is constantly becoming more extreme. Technology is intended to solve problems and make things easier, and it has done so almost too successfully. People now rely on it for practically everything, and in a sense it has enslaved us because most of us would not know how to function in our daily lives without it. This is especially true with smart phones, tablets, etc. In the course of a single day, Google may solve as many of our problems as we solve with our own brainpower. Unfortunately, a lot of people pay more attention to their devices than they do to each other and act as if they care more about what is happening on the screen than what is happening around them. Humans are slowly forgetting how to make eye contact and have a conversation with another person. Also, the competition to create and possess the newest technology has become more intense, which ties into the part of the quote that describes men enslaving each other. Having the most recent smart phone with the most features has become more of a focus in society than issues that are impacting the whole planet, and it will only continue to worsen if we don't stop and reassess our priorities.
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Jasmine Banks
8/10/2015 10:14:42 am
1) To me, this quote is all about the moment we stop thinking for ourselves is the moment we lose. It's the moment we can do no more than follow. This quote reminds me of another "Stand for something or fall for anything", they both share the message that without thinking for yourself you will fall to be a subject of others thinking.
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Gordon Chen
8/22/2015 04:26:37 pm
I somewhat agree towards your interpretation of the quote. It is true that once we leave that experience of joy as a child, we tend to follow what society tells us, from people to movies. My interpretation towards this quote is basically saying "enjoy life to the fullest" and also to always be honest and true to yourself, rather than thinking of only ourselves.
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Eric Tsai
8/11/2015 11:20:42 am
1. I agree with your point that technology has basically taken over our lives and can be seen almost everywhere in almost every aspect of our lives. This quote to me, however, has a different, but similar, meaning. The quote "once men turned their thinking over to machines in hopes that this would set them free. But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them," to me, means that all because something may seem good at first, it isn't always the best. I was lead to this conclusion/interpretation of the quote because machines/technology are supposed to make our lives easier and are largely viewed as beneficial, however those who own or control those machines can take advantage of the ill informed public. So something that may be viewed as beneficial to the general public, can actually be harmful. A real life example of this can be hidden customer service policies that companies may not advertise that are unfavorable to the consumer.
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Laura Paglicawan
8/11/2015 02:04:48 pm
1. Technology while it may be convenient hinders our population. Like the quote from the Reverend Mother, our original intentions can backfire on us. It’s ironic that the things that are designed to help us can also leave us vulnerable and weak. Concerning technology, I feel like it’s parallel to the antivenom that was hidden in Hawat’s food. Latent in manner, it hides in our society and slowly disarms us until the moment it strikes. At this point, we would be bound to our technology and wholly dependent on it to function. Nothing is further from the truth. It is slowly changing our lifestyle and our perspective on modern amenities as people are becoming more reliant and impatient. Before, people would wait a whole week for their show to come on and nowadays, we get upset when Netflix chooses to freeze for a second while we’re binge watching our series. And like the other posts from above stated, we are losing key social skills and just not appreciating the little things that are part of our day. Now, it’s normal for our eyes to be plastered to the screen of a TV in the morning, iPad at noon, computer in the evening, and finally our smart phones before bed. At this rate, technology cannot be stopped and I feel we’re slowly changing to accommodate the latest ones. In an extreme scenario, our brains will just turn off on us because of lack of activity or engagement. But the benefits of technology cannot be denied and I guess the lesson should be to proceed with caution. Too much of anything can be harmful.
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Kasey Zhang
8/23/2015 01:10:46 pm
3. Laura! I completely agree with the way you worded your argument, that "Too much of anything can be harmful" and that technology has its advantages but can definitely backfire. The way you said that reminded me of the dependence of the spice on Arrakis, and how too much consumption of such matter does have its effects on the individuals. Those who are currently consumed with the drug-like spice might not experience the side-effects now, but it can come back to haunt them later. Also your explanation of the quote and how it relates to the overall theme to the book is interesting.
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Ahad Haidry
8/13/2015 03:38:45 am
1. The quote "once men turned their thinking over to machines in hopes that this would set them free. But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them" (11), can be applied to many facets of society. The cotton gin was created with the intent to allow slaves to work less. But on the contrary, the cotton gin prompted a huge increase in slavery since plantation owners found out they could now harvest more cotton, and in turn make more money. Modern day examples would include our present day factory style production system, and the now common practice of outsourcing. Nowadays items like Ipads, Iphones, sneakers, clothes, etc. are made in factories, usually located in countries with an abundance of cheap labor. This is because Businessmen/women see the personal benefit they can achieve via factory style production and outsourcing. Yet i wouldn't blame everything on the "greedy" leaders of the corporate world. With all economics, supply is directly affected by demand. People are addicted to convenience, and since technology is so good at making our lives more convenient, people naturally want more of it. The point which i'm trying to make is that even though our technology is advancing at an exponential rate, human nature advances much more slowly, many times remaining almost constant. Though their have been multiple human right abuses involved with factories in developing countries, one can not deny that these respective nations have benefited from the global manufacturing process, at least financially. It is also human nature to resist change, and with technology being so intertwined with the world around us today, and so many people benefiting from technology, i believe society as a whole would not be able to give up their dependence on technology.
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Hisham Iqbal
8/17/2015 06:07:28 pm
I somewhat agree with your statement in that human nature resists change. Although changing drastically is very rare when it comes to human nature, humans are an ever changing society that evolve on a day to day basis. I think our change is what is our strength as it keeps us progressing forward and finding new ways to survive as a species as well as a downfall. Constantly evolving forces humans to need to upgrade, regardless of the standard. Everyday newer electronics and devices are created, due to the necessity of humanity to evolve and change further.
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Arun Sabapathy
8/23/2015 02:53:21 pm
I agree with most of what you mention about the idea of supply and demand fueling the fire of convenience, however I don't think that human nature is being evolved with convenience. If anything, convenience proves to be a detriment to original animalistic tendencies that humans have. If anything, society plays a big role in ethics, which is largely what you talk about in the human rights and corporate greediness that you talk about.
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Albert Chen
8/27/2015 07:37:28 am
I agree with your opinion on technology. Technology helped connected and improved our world. The use of phones and internet help connect people around the world together, and allow humans to share opinions and information with others. Technology makes life simpler and has saved lives through advances in technologies. It is true that humans are becoming too dependent on it, and I agree, but this may be a good thing to humanity because that’s reality. The world is advancing, all thanks to the use of technology.
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Chidera Azubike
8/15/2015 10:11:14 am
1.To be honest, when i read this quote the first thing that came to mind was this show i was watching called "Revolution" , in the show all technology suddenly powered off, and civilization fell apart. I believe civilization is already at the stage of enslaving ourselves to technology and its creators, in the past children ran around playing pretend and tag , now kids sit glued to their phones play whatever's popular at the moment. We've slowly begun to heavily rely to electronic appliances and use machines for things we could've done easily, and as my mother always said to me when i was young, "our swords(skills) will begun to dull until we eventually lose or altogether forget said skill/talent."
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Geo Aickareth
8/27/2015 09:26:30 am
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Marina Zafiris
8/17/2015 04:33:18 pm
I do see the relation of Reverend Mothers quote to modern technology and our unknowing submission to it. But in the broader sense of the quote, I think the author touches on the strength, or lack there of, of the human mind itself. Mankind seems to enjoy finding the most convenient and painless way to accomplish tasks (hence Reverend Mother's test to Paul), which is in turn our dependence on technology, the government, our peers and sometimes strangers. In order to become free, we must not rely on anything or anyone except ourselves. Because reliance leads to a transfer of power, which consequently humans can take advantage of.
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Hisham Iqbal
8/17/2015 06:02:27 pm
1. I completely agree with the quote from Dune and its relevance today. Humans initally created such technology to promote growth and progress at a rate never before seen. In some areas of society, such reliance has truly been a miracle in progress as it has allowed for increased safety and communication methods. A strong negative that is highlighted by the quote is the fact that once a human gives control over to a machine, the machine and those that control it now have the power. An excellant example of this is Google. Humans search through Google to be able to get a varied answer to their specific needs. Indirectly, humans give control and knoweldge to Google that could be potentially used inappropriately. The worst part of all this is, as humanity further progresses, this quote will become even more relevant. A human in today's standards faces strong challenges when trying to revert back to simple technological times, making it nearly impossible.
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Caitlyn Nguyen
8/18/2015 02:45:46 am
1. This quote perfectly describes the society we live in today and how attached we have become to technology. I don't think that as a whole, we could ever give up technology completely because we've become so reliant on it already. It's used for diagnosing the sick, finding directions, solving difficult problems, communication, entertainment, etc. If we gave up technology, life would go on but our society wouldn't be nearly the same.
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Hannah White
8/22/2015 06:22:21 pm
I agree that we would not be able to give up technology for medical readons, but I also think that for learning purposes too. Looking at schools now, there are phones, laptops and tablets everywhere. Now not all of them are being used for nessisarily school work, but the ones that are have become very useful ways of teaching and learning.
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Albert Chen
8/24/2015 10:18:59 am
I agree with you opinion on technology.Technology helped connected and Improved our world. Phones and the internet connect us to people thousands of miles away and have connected people together and widened our view on things and made information more accessible to people. Technology makes life easier and has saved lives through technological medical advances. You may think we are becoming too dependent on it and I agree, but that may be a good thing because that's the way our world seems to be advancing now and it is all thanks to technology.
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Carter Heard
8/19/2015 12:49:04 am
1.Though technology can be found everywhere in society today, it is our choice as people to let it enslave us. Technology was created to help us out by making the most routine activities more efficient; however, over the years we have become increasingly reliant on technology. Cars have been revamped to include Bluetooth functions in order to decrease the percentage of people holding their cell phones while trying to drive, because there have been so many fatal accidents. Driving down the highway I have personally seen cars with signs on the back publicizing “Baby on Board” in order to make drivers more alert, only to pass the car and notice that the person driving is avidly texting. Technology has become so popular that people don’t think twice about checking Facebook or making a Tweet—they just do it, even if it’s in a dangerous situation. Personally, I believe that for a pretty large selection of people, technology has become a necessity even though it started out simply being something we were fine without. Times have changed and technology is more applicable in today’s society, but that doesn’t mean it has to have a place in everything we do. As humans we cannot turn our entire thinking over to machines, or else it will indeed enslave us.
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Zach Hall
8/23/2015 03:46:03 am
I think that Herbert did indeed write these quotes to connect to the human perspective. Many of the quotes in this novel may not be similar to someone’s situation at all, but it can still be true when read alone. Not only does Herbert write quotes that his audience can relate to, yet he also is able to teach life lessons through his quotes. Much like your quote Carter, Herbert is able to teach a reader that complacency is not the mark of true greatness, yet the person who continues to strive for this greatness is the one who will be the most successful.
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Sahib Chandnani
8/25/2015 11:36:27 am
WOW! I am really reconsidering my favorite quote now because that one is really great! I could not agree more that greatness is something to be maintained rather than singularly achieved. It is not a title you get to keep but one you have to keep earning. I believe this idea is also very well represented in the story by the constant exchange of power between all the different participant parties. It shows how everything they have come to believe is theirs is, in reality, fleeting. Without this epiphany, they will continue to have their endless power struggle and no one person will be able to salvage them from this kind of chaos. Even in real life, when one settles into their status, they tend to become oblivious as it slowly slips away. Greatness is that which must be pursued without tire because once the quest is abandoned, it is lost altogether.
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Nimesh Patel
8/27/2015 10:20:51 am
One thing I believe about most novels we analyze in class is that I do not think authors write fiction novels with the intention of including all of the interpretations we talk about in class. In my opinion, I think these writers simply create what is on their mind and subconsciously they happen to relate to things they may experience in their daily life. So to answer your question, I do not think he purposely integrated these quotes into the story, however they may be directly related to the values he has as a person.
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Janie Hu
8/19/2015 05:21:50 am
1) It appears to seem that most people are in concurrence that the quote accurately describes our current society as everyone is attached to their electronic devices to a certain degree. It is undeniable that our society has a dependence on this new-found technology because of its lightning speed and effectiveness to complete tasks. I believe that our society cannot function without modern day machinery because we simply created a heavy dependency for them since they serve a pivotal role in Science, communication, and other purposes. We have come too far to revert back to simpler times where technology was still in its developing stages. Naturally we are fascinated with technological advancements because we think that it will be the “next best thing” for our future. People have been enslaved to machines for centuries now, but prominently from the first Industrial Revolution and onward. I feel like our society has been engrossed in the perpetual cycle of advancing towards bigger and better things, but have failed to stop and reflect on the consequences. The most relatable instance is the use of smart phones because it seems like everyone has them and use them 24/7. We are pleased with the ease and convenience of communicating with others at a touch of a button, and unfortunately we are tempted by this ability more than we should. Progressively, rapid improvements in machinery are a detriment to societal etiquette since we pay no attention to others when spending time with them and fail to appreciate the value of person to person connection. While we are becoming closer on a virtual level, we are ultimately distancing ourselves from one another as we chain ourselves to technology’s shackles as it is inescapable.
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Pooja Tunikipati
8/19/2015 07:38:37 am
I also quite like the quote you chose from Dune - "The mystery of life isn't a problem to solve, but a reality to experience" - and I think it's because many people these days in our world think that happiness and contentment with life is when they are successful and wealthy, when it's really about enjoying life, with or without problems and issues. This is also seen in Dune through all the scheming and plotting.
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Pooja Tunikipati
8/19/2015 07:34:08 am
In our world today I feel that many people are simply reliant and dependent on technology in a way that we would not know how to survive or live comfortably without it. However in Dune, the quote "once men turned their thinking over to machines in hopes that this would set them free. But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them" suggests that the people have given up the right to make choices and the right of free will (Herbert, 11). I think it’s all right for people to use technology to enhance our lives, but when we come to the point when we cannot live without it, that is a problem. Some kids who have grown up with iPhones in their hands since elementary rely on technology for entertainment and communication, and they feel bored and helpless without it. The lesson to be learned here is that technology is good in moderation, same as any other privilege. Too much of it and we as a species will become lazy and allow it to do everything for us, which simply invites more intelligent people to come and take advantage of that, as it happened in Dune.
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Karthik Reddy
8/21/2015 03:28:38 am
Your opinion of the quote makes sense in the context of our current age, but back then in 1965, there was a different context; technology had just started to consume life, spreading from wealthier minorities to the general public in more developed countries, whereas today, we are consumed in/by technology in certain aspects of our lives. Technology has expanded to engrain itself in our lives, and we cannot live without certain things we find "necessary" to our well-being. In the next century, humans will find themselves relying on technology that we, today, would not deem necessary, just as previous generations would have looked at us and thought the same. A more literal interpretation of what Herbert was trying to get across through the quote was the Butlerian Jihad, the removal of "thinking machines" from human culture about 10,000 years before Dune. The Butlerian Jihad explains how certain organizations came to be, such as the Bene Gesserit, The Spacing Guild, Mentats, etc. The organizations attempted to replace the roles that “thinking machines” had previously held.
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Suhrin Whang
8/21/2015 10:51:25 am
1. The famous quote from Dune stated that “once men turned their thinking over to machines in hopes that this would set them free. But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them” (11). In other words, societies have depended on modern technologies believing life would become easier for man. While it does bring a sense of convenience, benefits come with its disadvantages. With our world becoming more dependent on technologies such as cell phones and computers, we begin to face a degrading of mankind’s knowledge and power. In fact, this just made it easier for people with a stable control over these gadgets to limit or manipulate others, practically “enslaving” them. Overall, the meaning of this quote is that we should not depend heavily on technology believing it’s the easy way out because surely there will be consequences in which we are to be controlled ourselves. Therefore, in my opinion it can be an applicable quote to the past, present and the future- which are truly my favorites.
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Asma Virani
8/21/2015 03:53:09 pm
1. I agree with your interpretation of the quote. Our generation has been enslaved by technology as it keeps on being updated more and more. Technology is forever changing. There are two sides of the spectrum of technology, one side leans toward innovation in medicine and the chemical technology; while the other side leans towards the improvements of our world’s ever-changing electronics. At this moment in time the world, every country, that is not in a crisis of some sort financially or living wise, has access to electronic entertainment. The kids of our generation are getting cell phones handed to them at such young ages it takes them away from their lives since they just sit on their phones all day texting each other rather than having face- to- face conversations. Nowadays, everything can be done within a matter of minutes thanks to technology. Even though, it has improved the quality of our lives, we’ve forgotten how to live our lives with simplicity. Everyday we find new ways to make our tasks easier which just shows how we are enslaved by technology.
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Fariha Ahmed
8/21/2015 10:17:51 pm
!) I agree with your analysis of the Reverend Mother's quote. Unfortunately, as history has shown, its rather impossible to undo something that has taken grip over 90% of the world's population. This can be applied to today's technological epidemic that has become a sort of a bittersweet plague taking sweep across the Earth's face. Just yesterday I got back from a long trip in Bangladesh, a rather underdeveloped country. The status and situation of the country the last time I visited, three years ago, was just about the exact same as i saw it a few days ago. Now, the only difference is that just about every single citizen carries a smartphone. The extreme mass production of cheap, low-priced Chinese smart phones have become available to countries where Apple is not yet a retailed seller, making the demand and supply much higher and easier to appease. As the quote you took from the Reverend Mother says, this technology has become the master of even people who cannot afford to feed their families in such poor countries. Yet still, you will see a smartphone in this man's hand, despite his status, because he feels the need to spend all of his earnings on data and more minutes to use the phone with.
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Chelci Harris
8/22/2015 04:34:41 am
I agree with the quote--only to an extent, however. Well, let's just go ahead and get this out of the way first: Hello, my name is Chelci and I'm addicted to technology. Here's why: social media was created to share ideas, and moments as well as to...well...socialize. I really do enjoy socializing, but if you asked me to go to a party, you wouldn't get an excited response. This is the way of the introvert. Moreover, I LOVE to know. Knowledge is power, right? The internet was created as a convenient way to access what you want to know and tablets and smart phones as a way to access the internet when you want. There are apps now that help you learn new languages and keep track your health, and there's nothing wrong with that. So maybe I was being a little facetious when I said I was "addicted". I, personally, don't think anyone is addicted or a slave to technology but I won't put any money on that. Speaking for myself; as long as I could physically connect to the people in my phone book as easily as I could through text message, or phone call, or social media and reach the information that I need when I need it, I could go the rest of my life without technology. I'd go out on a limb and say that no one is addicted to the devices of our time, but we have definitely gotten comfortable in its convenience. Although, I mean hey, if you have a cold, would you rather wait it our or take some medicine? Taking the medicine doesn't make you addicted, but what point is being proven by not taking it?
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Daniel Cheung
8/22/2015 01:07:51 pm
1. I find the quote more realistic than many other technology-fearing sermons I've heard. Many movies now warn of robots subjugating humans, machines that don't have feelings, but hold ultimate power in the name of unlimited knowledge and efficiency. Yet these predictions seem to be more entertaining than foreboding, and even the entertaining part is starting to get old. It is far more plausible that men use machines to control one another. Nations are already prone to asserting their dominance over one another; technology would mean this control would become more absolute. Given that this book was published over fifty years ago, Herbert must have disapproved of technological advancements in the mid 1900’s. In the present day, I wonder how he would react to machines today. Clearly, technology is already used by humans to subjugate one another. For example, the threat of nuclear weapons allows one nation to hold other nations in deadlock, or to control them completely. Without military technology, I doubt Korea could keep its citizens so uniform and unaware of global realities. We already have a glimpse of what Herbert forewarned.
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Gordon Chen
8/22/2015 04:19:41 pm
This quote by Patrick Rothfuss is the prime example of a person's life. The idea of being a child brings the feeling of untroubled times, were "worrying" was not a function of our lexicon. As a child, we experience life like never experienced before, having no pressure or concerns. As we grow and develop, the aliveness of being a child seems unreal. Getting to the point of an adult is when "worrying" becomes a portion of us. The thought of following a set of guidelines that society has established for us, seems like the only path towards a "perfect life", rather than experiencing the world, preferably in your own way. A person may seem to feel as an outcast as they stray away from these guidelines, therefore, returning back to society rules, like a lamb of sheep's.
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Carter Heard
8/27/2015 11:29:19 am
I think that the quote that you choose is great because it works for everyone. At one point in everyone's life we have fears whether it is fear of a living thing or fear of a situation we have to face. The part of the quote that really intrigued me was "Fear is the mind killer." This really stuck out to me because it shows that fear can have such an enormous impact on our actions and the way we live. As a result of this, it is very important to face your fears in order to stop them from limiting you. By facing our fears we give ourselves maximum confidence which leads to success in everything we do. This quote helps prove that fear may be inevitable but it is not impossible to overcome.
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Hannah White
8/22/2015 06:16:55 pm
This quote to me partly reflects becoming more aware of others around you. Children care about their own well being and not so much as others. Growing up and realizing that you may have to take care of more than just yourself can become worrisome. It's a huge jump from being taken care of without needing to know what will happen next, to planning out all your next moves. When it is just yourself, there is so much less pressure to do things because if it goes wrong, it's on you. It becomes another story when others begin counting on your abilities. Yet today in our society, the time at which people begin to grow up and start concerning with something other than themselves is getting higher and higher. Our access to technology plays a huge role in that. People become more dependent and anti-social.
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Madison McClendon
8/22/2015 08:29:58 pm
1) Addressing mankind's tech-addiction, I'm afraid I'm going to have to side with the naysayers here. While I don't exactly expect to slide into a Matrix-esque battle with technology, I don't see how modern society could survive without tech. Globalization would cease, social media would be gone, cultural assimilation would be nearly eliminated, travel would slow to a crawl, entire professions would be eradicated. Our society is like a patient that has used an iron-lung so long, its own no longer function. While technology certainly has aided in many amazing advances, it has also facilitated one of humanity's greatest weaknesses- our tendency to, as a society, take the path of least resistance. Imagine society as a river, forever pushing forward in search of the most lenient path. We found the soft vein of technology and will pursue it in rushing currents until our proverbial river hits a damn, and then we will lay stagnant and dying.
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Arianna Carr
8/22/2015 11:43:17 pm
Reading the highly realistic and forthcoming words of Reverend Mother would make anyone believe that Frank Herbert wrote Dune in the 21st century. What she says in the beginning of the book not only sets the tone for the nature of mankind in the future, but also speaks of humanity today. Many people in this world would agree that they would not know how to function without their cellphones, world connected internet, and their various entertaining but addictive social media outlets. People buy these technological gadgets in the hopes of improving life, gaining more efficiency, and attaining what Reverend Mother referred to as a sense of “freedom.” Surely, these are the true and honest intentions of both the designers and the users, but more negative consequences has closely followed the development of technology. One major consequence is the highly addictive nature and obsession that most people develop when they have technology. Just looking in your surrounding you are more likely to see someone’s neck in an unnatural position to look at their phone than to look at a book. You are more likely to see people fanatically look for their “lost” phone more quickly than their wandering off child. You are more likely to see someone’s head turn at the sound of a notification than at the sound of human laughter or even terror. This, unfortunately, is the state of human affairs in connection with technology. Essentially, humans are more connected with technology than actual humans.
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Phillip Valdecanas
8/23/2015 05:35:57 am
Something that Arianna mentioned, that did not cross my mind was the younger generations of our society in relation to technology. This is an extremely insightful point because the younger generation hold the ability to influence society as the old generation, along with their values, turn over. As technology continues to advance, coupled with societies growing dependence on technology in daily life, this results in the use of technology of children at ever younger ages. Because children are becoming more familiar with technology at increasingly younger ages, technology becomes more dependent and addictive. As children become increasingly familiar with technology, they may grow up to develop new advances based on the principle that practice makes perfect. Also, lifetime habits are often formed during childhood. Children of younger generations will definitely have a more difficult time detaching from technological use in daily life because technology has been an integrated part of their life from early ages. This cycle will continue with the only change being technological devices which are more advanced than the previous generation. The fact that younger children become fluent with technology from very young ages proves how technology has become normalized in society.
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Hoorain Momin
8/26/2015 08:40:10 am
I agree with the point Philip made about how younger generations tend to have a greater influence and say in society due to modern day technology. I feel like the recent generations ha
Hoorain Momin
8/26/2015 08:57:59 am
I agree with the point Philip made about how younger generations tend to have a greater influence and say in society due to modern day technology. I feel like the recent generations have so much more access to devices such as tablets and even smartphones for that matter. Social media, especially plays a vital role in influencing our society. For example, people use media such as YouTube, twitter, Facebook etc. in order to spread their beliefs and current news. In my personal experience, I never watch the news to hear about current events because I can usually find it on social media even before it reaches the news channels.
Ada Chau
8/25/2015 03:11:03 pm
Arianna, I very much agree with your take on the quote and your insight on human dependence on technology. We try as we might to wean ourselves off of our phones and tablets, but the reality is that we are already too dependent upon those objects. They surround our everyday lives and there is no escaping them. Younger generations are exposed to these machines at such a young age that they don't really know of any other way. For example, when we were in elementary, we loved to go outside and play at the park or in our backyards when we were bored. Now, our younger siblings rarely step outside for fun. They only go outdoors when they have to , not because they want to . When we take their electronics away from them, they don't know how else to entertain themselves. I too think that our dependence on technology and mobile devices will only grow stronger,and that we will become enslaved to the devices meant to give us more freedom.
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Skyler Williams
8/23/2015 02:52:41 am
I agree with your view of the Reverend Mother's quote. I also find it astounding that Frank Herbert knew of this half a century before it came true. He foresaw the growth of "machines" in society and the power they have over us. However, I also agree with those saying we need these machines. Technology has become so ingrained in our society that it makes up and shapes everything we do. Like what Madison said, without technology, we would lose so much, simply because we have come to depend on technology for everything. I also don't think we will ever see some sort of machineworldtakeover, as seen in movies. While it is an interesting topic for writers, and is constantly the subject of different movies and television shows (like the Terminator series), it is very unlikely to happen. Technology only becomes a problem when, like the Reverend Mother said, people allow machines to have control over them, to take over their lives and to let technology affect and play a more-than-substantial role in our lives.
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Zach Hall
8/23/2015 03:45:10 am
1. I believe that this quote is very true, as the progression of humans into a digital society based on the Internet is having negative effects on normal human interaction that has preexisted us for millennia. A good personal example that I have would be a baseball game. Before the advent of digital communication, attending a baseball game was supposed to be for the beauty of the game and the passion that fans had for their hometown team. However, these days’ people are calling baseball boring and too slow paced for today’s world, as we sit at the ballpark texting other people and not actually enjoying the game. People seem to be more interested in the happenings in other people’s lives than in their own, and many are more concerned with making sure they get a good picture to post of themselves than actually enjoying the game. However, I do not believe that machines enslave humans because I believe that the only reason we use these machines in the first place is because the human attention span is rapidly decreasing. In terms of giving it all up, I do believe that if someone took initiative that many humans would have the will power to stay away from mobile devices, yet these machines cannot be ignored as they show great progressions in technology that ultimately help people live better lives and make them more connected to information.
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Phillip Valdecanas
8/23/2015 05:14:24 am
1. Reverend Mother's quote is extremely relevant to the functionality of society today. Technology has become such an integrated aspect of our everyday lives, due to its ability to provide convenience. However, like many other things in the world, balance is apparent, Over dependency on technology results in the compensation of concepts such as social interaction and abilities to complete tasks manually without the aid of technology. In a sense, we have in deed become "enslaved to other men with machines". Our smartphones rely on wifi and cellular data, all of which are provided and monitored by companies. Those companies have become strong monopolies due to society's dependency on technology. Essentially, because people use their phones throughout the entire day and night, the cellphone companies have the power to control the masses. To answer the question of if we, as a society, could constrain from the usage of technology: I think it is totally possible, but society is not willing to face this addiction. People are completely capable of abstaining from the use of their phones, This becomes apparent when people stop to charge their phones in the instant that their phones run out of battery power. However, society as a whole needs technology in order to function and keep up with our fast paced and increasingly globalizing world. In leisure, it may not seem a problem to find an alternative from the use of technology. But in situations such as business, technology is critical to keeping up with the ongoing race. Medical advance rely on the technology of modern society. Eliminating such technology would not be beneficial. In these ways, technology can be seem as both necessary and extraneous.
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Sahib Chandnani
8/23/2015 10:49:35 am
I think your argument about the quote is warranted, but I still think the situation could be a lot worse. At the end of the day, I trust those who are thoroughly under the spell of Facebook and Twitter and Instagram to eventually wake up and one day realize that their ambition has been flushed down a drain somewhere. Eventually we will realize ourselves that the machines are ruling us and we WILL wake up. Since the stone ages, we have been technological advancement after technological advancement. I'm sure that somewhere along the line someone thought the written language would take away from human interaction as well. That maybe the written word would take away the need for face to face contact altogether when messages could just be scrawled on paper and distributed. Without microphones this may even have been an easier option than screaming - the audience could just pass around your stone table masterpiece and understand what you are trying to say. Writing would even give more time to be eloquent in what one wants to say and even now I am getting to spend a lot of time thinking about what I am saying. However, even after the advent of written language, treaties were made, hands were shaken, drinks and jokes were exchanged at bars, and revolutions were made through word of mouth. Human interaction is not a luxury but a necessity. Humans will need to speak to each other face to face until the end of our reign here on this planet. Nothing has and nothing will be able to take that away. Nevertheless, the sheer magnitude of the current "technological self-isolation" is expansive, but the hole we are in can only be dug so deep before we hit bedrock. After that, it is just a matter of climbing out and digging another hole elsewhere. But we will get out of this one.
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Kasey Zhang
8/23/2015 12:24:07 pm
1. Because everyone has been touching on this topic, I definitely agree that technology has reached the stage of “consuming” our lives at this point in time; however the degree to which this consumption has negatively affected our generation is not as bad as we make it to be. We have reached a point in our lives where the lack of technology or smart phones can seem rather uncharacteristic and peculiar to most individuals, but there are still a few people out there who do not devote their entire lives to posting on Facebook and Instagram. Additionally, we make it seem as if human interaction has been lost through the process of this technological dominance but we fail to recognize that these devices can help to strengthen the social abilities of communicating around the world through just the touch of a button. Technology has made things easier. I think that the quote “once men turned their thinking over to machines in hopes that this would set them free. But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them” refers more to the technology of industrial machines in the economy. For example a reflection of this quote is seen back when Eli Whitney created the cotton gin to help speed up the production of cotton. This technological invention made an impression that the slaves dominating the plantations would no longer be in much use and can finally be set free, but instead this machine demanded the use of many more slaves due to the hastened pace of picking cotton. This example proves that technology will definitely permit the advantaged ones to use machines against the hopeless, just as the Reverend Mother has warned.
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Sakshi Shah
8/23/2015 01:28:22 pm
I agree with the fact that most of the people in our society can’t live a day without their phones or laptops. I would go as far as saying that every generation after us might become slaves of the technologies. I see three and four years old who know how to unlock a phone and open their favorite games. I believe that technology advancing is more of a curse than a blessing. I mean too much of anything is bad right? The fact that everyone thinks their lives might be over if they don’t have their phones or tablets is completely sickening. It’s important to have a phone in case of emergency, true, but having a phone doesn’t mean you have to constantly be on it. Every time I go out I see parents offering their phones to young kids so they wouldn’t bother them. I’m not going to blame others out there who are always on their phone because I do the exact same thing. Everywhere I go I take out my phone and aimlessly surf the net or play games. I believe this quote is an exact representation of our society today and hopefully that changes soon. One of my favorite quotes from Dune has to be when the Reverend Mother says “a ruler must to learn to persuade and not to compel” (49). I like this quote because it’s true of any situation. One example in real life would be when parents are trying to keep their kids from going out late at night. If the parents say the right thing, their kids can be easily persuaded to do the right thing, but if they try to force their child to stay in, they might just sneak out the window.
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Sheila Patel
8/24/2015 01:41:12 pm
Hi Sakshi! Alia did not die at the end of Dune. The hasty way in which Frank Herbert added her to plot gave me the feeling that he included her in the novel as a way to set up the storyline for future additions in the Dune series. Since she's such a unique and creepy character, she has a lot of plot potential!
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Chandni Patel
8/23/2015 02:07:55 pm
I agree with your interpretation of the Reverend Mother’s quote. People are overly dependent on technology and most don’t even realize to the extent their daily life revolves around it. For instance, from the moment you wake up, using an alarm clock, to the moment you sleep, most likely on your phone. Parents console their young children with giving them an Ipad or a phone to play games until they stop crying, showing how we’ve slowly begun to rely heavily on technology. With kids growing up in such an environment, they will most likely believe it’s the norm to rely on a phone for anything. Additionally, society’s reliance on technology is highlighted in how commonly people rush to call a technician once the internet stops working. If your internet doesn’t work, most people will likely call someone to fix it the same day, because a majority of the work we do is based on the Internet. Nowadays, almost everyone uses Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. to socialize online and it takes away from face to face interactions. Family units are affected by technology as they become disconnected because of children being glued to technology. In school, we rely on technology like calculators to do our math or use spellcheck for our papers hindering the ability to spell simple words. We’ve become so reliant on technology; I do not believe we could give it up. There could possibly be less usage of it, but we cannot completely get rid of technology.
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Chandni Patel
8/23/2015 02:10:09 pm
I agree with your interpretation of the Reverend Mother’s quote. People are overly dependent on technology and most don’t even realize to the extent their daily life revolves around it. For instance, from the moment you wake up, using an alarm clock, to the moment you sleep, most likely on your phone. Parents console their young children with giving them an Ipad or a phone to play games until they stop crying, showing how we’ve slowly begun to rely heavily on technology. With kids growing up in such an environment, they will most likely believe it’s the norm to rely on a phone for anything. Additionally, society’s reliance on technology is highlighted in how commonly people rush to call a technician once the internet stops working. If your internet doesn’t work, most people will likely call someone to fix it the same day, because a majority of the work we do is based on the Internet. Nowadays, almost everyone uses Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. to socialize online and it takes away from face to face interactions. Family units are affected by technology as they become disconnected because of children being glued to technology. In school, we rely on technology like calculators to do our math or use spellcheck for our papers hindering the ability to spell simple words. We’ve become so reliant on technology; I do not believe we could give it up. There could possibly be less usage of it, but we cannot completely get rid of technology.
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Chandni Patel
8/23/2015 02:25:44 pm
oops ignore this I accidently posted this twice
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Albert Chen
8/24/2015 08:51:26 am
1.How we use technology that is the key. Technology was created to improve our lives. Nothing is created to hinder the maker. With technology, we can communicate quickly, across continents, all with just a single click. This is done with the internet, a great aspect of technology. Technology has definitely improved our lives, this is because of the various aspects of it: cars, internet, phones. Will anyone doubt that these devices have improved our lives? Technology is just THERE, it is how we use it. IF we use it daily, use the internet daily, use it until the point of addiction, of course technology has helped to make us dependent, but the key factor that has made us dependent is ourselves. We do not blame fire for being hot, much like we should not blame technology for our own lack of discipline. Technology improves our lives, it can also hinder it, but how we use technology is the key.
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Sheila Patel
8/24/2015 02:50:06 pm
1)I agree with The Reverend Mother’s quote to some degree. It is definitely true that our generation is more dependent on our technology than ever before. We set alarms on our phones and set automatic reminders to tell us to do things. To a level, it is like the machine is thinking for us. When there is free time, we idly scroll on social media inside our houses instead of enjoying nature. Beautiful moments literally pass us by when because we are too busy looking down at our little technological personal assistant. When we lose wifi connection, we start groaning like our world is ending. And in a sense, it kind of has. Humans have only gotten this far because of technology. It is the invention of primitive technologies which let our brains evolve to a larger size. The creation of motorized vehicles is part of what sustains our comfortable lifestyles in a globalized world. Technology is a tool with which humans can achieve greater things. It frees our mind from small tasks and lets us pursue other greater things. If we gave up technology completely, we would literally go extinct. People from every era will say technology is enslaving humans. Thus far in our history, no technology has ever actually been able to think independently. Everything it can do is a response preprogramed by humans, and therefore we cannot be enslaved by technology, just the human that made it. However, the Reverend Mother’s quote is dealing with human-made technology that can actually think for itself and has the capability of literally enslaving humans on its volition, which is a completely different matter than the technology obsession that we deal with today.
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Brandon Pham
8/24/2015 03:50:58 pm
The quote has literal meaning, which could be understood in context, and a deeper and moral meaning. In context, Paul adds “Thou shalt not make a machine to counterfeit a human mind” (17 Kindle version). This means as some point men were using artificial intelligence to think for them. When quote states that using AI “permitted other men with machines to enslave them”, this could mean many things. It could be interpreted as the manufacturers of the AI gaining too much power, hacking computers, or possibly using robots to battle. In the end, it just means machines are unreliable for they can be interfered with. A human mind is harder to alter. In the deeper, moral, and universal stand point of the quote, it could refer to our increasingly dependence on technology to do tasks. Can you cook rice in a pot? Can you brew coffee without a coffeemaker? Can you change the channel without a remote? The men with machines in this case could mean corporations that make technology, such as Google. Imagine what Google could do with all their power and influence worldwide. The entire human race is almost completely tied to this company. Technology is powerful. For example, look up the Arab-Israeli War. It was Israel vs Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon. Israel was backed by the US. Guess who won? Israel, who had the more modern technology.
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Rushabh Mehta
8/25/2015 06:56:32 am
1. I think that the idea of a society that is enslaved by technology is very much real, but I disagree with the fact that man will enslave man by this technology as the Reverend Mother suggested. Technology is very addictive, for example there are some of us who are constantly on facebook or tweeting something on twitter, but that is a habit, similar to cracking knuckles. And although man can create viruses which can steal information such as credit card numbers and such, those do not necessarily enslave us to the technology and can be easily resolved. Like many other responses on this post, I believe that Artificial Intelligence could be the cause of our true enslavement, and for AI to do this it would have to think it on its own. Because of this, although man created machine, man did not tell machine to take us over, machine learned it itself. Although this idea has several years to actually be considered an issue, we are getting dangerously close to the development of a real AI with the ability to think on its own rather than siri's preloaded sass.
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Michael Liu
8/25/2015 07:47:52 am
1) Almost every part of human life is dominated by the prevalence of technology. While most people argue that the presence of technology is ruining our lives and hindering face-to-face communication, anybody with access to such advanced tools and materials will gladly use them to their advantage. The sad fact is that humans are susceptible to error and that we often make mistakes. Machines, on the other hand, do not make mistakes. When they do error, that fault is attributed to the human that coded such machine. In a way, the machine is an extension of the desired qualities of human beings. We can customize, remodel, design, and program them to our liking. They become our prized possessions and that is why i believe machines are so difficult to put away. Myself and many others have experienced losing our phones and as a result feel a part of them is gone. My general manager, Mariam, at the 1645 Panda Express, left her phone at home and quote for quote said “I feel a part of me is gone.” This sounds like a sad reality, but, to some extent, is true.
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CHI Phu
8/25/2015 03:02:27 pm
I agree with Michael, while I was working in Smoothie king this summer when one of my co-workers forgot to bring their electronic devices he had nothing to do for the rest of time he was working there. It is literally like a part of him has gone missing. I also had that feeling before, when the wifi is down and you are on that data struggle I can't do anything on my phone except for texting and calling. When the wifi was down the coworkers didn't even talk to each other, they just sat there and look at each other or go to sleep. I feel like technology has controlled most of our life. We wake up using technology and go to sleep using technology. It is a part of life now and we cannot separate ourselves from it.
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Jason Tran
8/27/2015 10:59:47 am
I completely understand where you are coming from and I feel that it’s sad that is how our society works these days. In the past, random strangers could start and maintain a conversation anywhere and anytime. It is rare now that we see strangers even acknowledging one another since we live a digital world where it removes our social skills in real life.
Selina John
8/25/2015 09:05:10 am
I agree with your interpretation of Reverend Mother's quote that technology really does take over our real lives today. I also, feel as one of those victims too. After realizing that such technology was taking too much of my time from my real social life, I began to rethink back when my parents were young and had no access to such technology at all. As a result, I thought, if my parents could survive without such extensive technology then why can't I? In reality however, there are some technologies that is necessary for me to use in order keep up with everyone else's pace on today's terms. If the whole country of America were to stop using cell phones and laptops, our country would be behind in important news and would hinder our reputation to be always the fastest in every world aspect.
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Elaine Wood
8/25/2015 11:41:39 am
The quote from the Reverend Mother is quite cynical. She expresses the idea of an endless cycle of enslavement to other men and work -- unable to find freedom. There will always be someone or something under which you must work. Building a machine might replace the work that could be done, but as technology improves, there are opportunities for new work. However, there are several possible interpretations to this quote -- I completely agree with your interpretation as well, and believe that the author meant to imply all of these lessons in the quote.
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Brittany Xiao
8/25/2015 01:23:45 pm
I think your analysis is dead on; technology is really taking over our lives. Everywhere I go, I see people with their necks bent and eyes glued to their smartphones. Mobile technology has especially shortened people's attention spans, for it allows people to do something when they have to wait for a small amount of time. Studies even show that people have withdrawal symptoms if they are away from their smartphones for a certain amount of time. The improvements in technology in our age are definitely revolutionary and amazing, but they have created a generation very dependent on technology.
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Rithica Deepak
8/25/2015 02:29:13 pm
I think that that quote was completely honest about what our society has become. Almost everyone I see walking around has a cell phone one their hands. This dependence of technology has cost many lives also, most of the car accidents these days are due to texting. I think that more conversations are happening on our phones rather than face to face normal conversations. Even I fall under some of these habits. Cellphone usage has become into a worldwide addiction that has plagued this generation. Even though technology has it negative effects, they have also pushed us to achieve greater things. They have propelled us greatly into the medical field, Business, and etc. Even though there are drawbacks there are many positives also.
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Nikki Gandhi
8/26/2015 12:44:37 pm
I agree that a lot of car crashes and dangerous outcomes have come from technology use but you forget that even if conversations arent happening face to face that doesnt mean theyre not happening at all. Our ability to talk to anyone, conveniently without having to look for a pay phone or use a land line is so beneficial to us. Plugged is a strong word as well, considering the word plague has bad connotations and the good of technology out weighs the bad. The one thing we can do to stop accidents is limit ourselves. Everything in moderation. People who use technology correctly and for the purpose of connecting with other humans on this world will find that technology can only make our already difficult lives a little bit easier.
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Ada Chau
8/25/2015 02:34:18 pm
1. I personally think that the quote speaks a lot of truth about society today. Machines make our life easier. Nowadays,with a few taps of a screen, we can instantly communicate with someone halfway across the world. On the other hand, as soon as we hear the familiar "ding!", we immediately pull out our phones. Our phones have so much control over us, but we don't realize it. As soon as someone else taps on their phone to message us, we immediately pick up our phones. I don't know about you, but I have never seen anyone follow instructions faster than someone picking up their phones after getting a notification. Notifications are like commands-- they scream "pick me up and look at me! look at me!" Every time we check our phone, it's like we are constantly waiting for instructions. If that isn't the definition of slavery by machines, I'm not sure what is.
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Vibhav Joopelli
8/25/2015 03:39:34 pm
I think it would be incredibly unrealistic and impossible for our society to give up technology. Literally everything we do as humans revolves around and necessitates technology. From the moment I wake up to my alarm clock, a piece of technology, to when I brush my teeth in morning, with a toothbrush made by a technologically based machine, to when I drive to school in my car, a vehicle that would be impossible to build without technology, everything around me revolves around technology. Getting rid of technology would not only change our way of life, it would make life as we know it impossible. Similarly, in the novel, we see that a world absent of technology is very chaotic, unorganized, and dysfunctional.
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Viren Joopelli
8/25/2015 03:57:48 pm
1. I agree with your interpretation of the quote. Today's society is completely consumed by technology, whether it be at home or outside. I don't think we would be able to revert back to a society without such prolific technology, primarily because so many people today have never known a world without technology. Today's teenagers have lived their whole life with internet and cell phones available, and it is impossible to revert back to a society lacking something we are so dependent upon. Furthermore, Dune was written in the 1960s, during a time of technological advancements such as the television. Herbert could very well be commenting on these issues in his novel.
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Viren Joopelli
8/25/2015 03:59:50 pm
do*
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Konan Mirza
8/25/2015 04:38:36 pm
1) I partially agree with the quote stated. Although I don’t feel exactly enslaved to technology, I do agree that it has taken an increasingly bigger role in my life. However, I don’t think this is necessarily a bad role as the quote suggests. In fact I think one could make the argument that technology has done more positive than it has negative. The amount of information available with just a click of a button is infinite. The things we are able to accomplish today in seconds that in the past would take us hours are astonishing. All in all I don’t feel this quote exactly portrays the bigger picture; it merely focuses on the negatives of technology. Because of this narrow minded viewpoint it shuts reader out from seeing the true repercussions of technology. Thus it is evident that we aren’t “enslaved” to our technology, rather we are capitalizing on an instrumental tool that eases and aids the lives of millions around the world.
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Nimesh Patel
8/26/2015 07:40:00 am
1. I believe there is some truth in regards to that quote but not entirely. It is definitely true that within the past 15 years we have progressed exponentially in technology going from large bulky cell phones to the sleek smartphones we now use, and it is also true that we heavily rely on these items in our everyday lives, but I would not go as far to say we are enslaved by these advances. If we were in fact enslaved by technology, these devices would have an insane control over us to the point where we cannot make a decision not to use them. I believe we simply use the phones, laptops, or anything on the internet because they benefit us in what we do. Society as a whole, would not be able to revert to how we functioned back in 1965 when Dune was written, but only because our daily interactions often need to be on a large scale which involves the use of the internet and phones in order to contact people and complete our jobs. Referring to the restaurant example, I do see this happen quite often and this would have to be one of the defining negative aspects of this new world we live in. Overall, technology does have its negative influences on us, but there are some benefits that are often overlooked.
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Hoorain Momin
8/26/2015 08:22:24 am
1) I think this quote is the definition of our society today. Its quite interesting how Frank Herbert actually saw this coming and wrote about it in 1965 in Dune. I feel that people nowadays rely so much on technology that they sometimes forget that they have a mind of their own and can actually use it. I think that technology can have its advantages and disadvantages. Advantages being that it is convenient and time saving. Disadvantages are that it makes technology seem superior to humans. Also, technology prevents us from using our skills. For example, in third world countries where the use of technology is limited, the people living there actually have to learn and search for the answers instead of googling it.
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Robin Dimaunahan
8/27/2015 07:26:48 am
I am not quite sure what you are suggesting when you say"technology prevents us from using our skills"
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David Hartman
8/26/2015 09:33:18 am
1.) I do not believe that the Reverend Mother is an entirely reliable source, for she is largely biased. The Bene Gesserit order encapsulates the humanness of mankind, focusing on the aspects of which technology may not interfere. The human body, when trained in the way of the Bene Gesserit allows for a new degree of focus and understanding of one's surroundings. These surroundings include not just the environment one is in, but those within the vicinity of the area. Paul and his mother Jessica are both quite adept in reading body language, which permits them an intense insight other individuals do not possess. The quote essentially states that mankind attempted to create devices in hopes of easing his own workload. In actuality, technological advancement indeed occurred, but at what cost to the evolution of the homo-sapiens? Technology, it seems, surpassed the ingenuity of its creator and thus evolved at a faster rate than the organisms whom designed it. Thus, Reverend Mother sheds light upon the pessimistic but truthful idea that this technology can be harnessed for malicious intent. However, it is notable that the technology did not become self aware and attack mankind as it did in the widely-known sci-fi movies of the Terminator. The negative aspect to which the quote is referring emphasizes that violence is brought into this world through man on man conflict, a theme seen throughout the novel.
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Gabrielle Humphrey
8/26/2015 09:38:23 am
1. I agree that this quote speaks volumes about the development of society as a technology dependent entity. Rather than experiencing life, we have turned it over to technology. We’ve become so consumed with the notion of a more efficient and advanced world that we’ve failed to notice that our entire personal world’s center around technology. Beyond an obsession with using our devices rather than having face-to-face human interaction, society has also developed a preoccupation with our online personas. The average teenager, and even adult, is so concerned with how many “likes” they get or how much they interact online, that they dismiss the notion of who they are in reality.
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Hussain Azeem
8/26/2015 10:36:04 am
1. I completely agree withe quote because i do agree that now a days technology is essential to the lives of many people.but i also do believe that it is not taking over the lives of people. We use technology as means of improving our lives. If not for technology we would not be able to make vaccines or make prosthetics to help others. Yes we might rely on some technology a lot such as cell phones but to get rid of it would be absurd. Just look at Dune, Arakkis is basically chaotic and hell like but if they had technology of some sort they would be able to improve their livings.
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Maher Rahman
8/27/2015 06:55:34 am
While I can see and understand your point Hussain (Brown Johnny), I'm afraid i have to play the role of the devil's advocate and disagree. Technology is not just essential in our lives, it has become necessary. Without it, the unemployment rate in america would sky rocket to nearly 100%, as no transportation, and no computers or phones are used in every single profession in the world. The only jobs that might be an exception are pimitive and very iniefficient farming, but even then, Tools such as Hoes, and boats, irrigation, whether you'd like to think of it as not, are indeed technology. The Fremen though they live a very basic life, they are not devoid of technology. How else would they stand up to the might of the Empire. yes, they might be lagging behind, but they are not completely out of the loop so to speak.
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Hannah Fasching
8/26/2015 11:14:59 am
I really like this quote because I think Herbert did an amazing job of foreshadowing today's generation without even knowing it. Or perhaps he did? Either way its a very hard truth, that we now rely on technology not only in the form of phone but literally everywhere in the modern society. My favorite quote from Dune was "Without change something sleeps inside us, and seldom awakens. The sleeper must awaken". I find this very true and I am a big believer in needing change to become a better person. Without change we remain the same and never learn from our mistakes.
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Thomas Ledford
8/26/2015 11:15:30 am
This quote was really inspiring to me since I see teenagers on their cell phones all the time. While they are driving, while they are walking, while they are eating, while they are in their bed at home, it really has become a major issue in today’s society. I believe that people use their ”machines” in order to control others with an unfair technological advantage. Consider the case of slavery, the Europeans went to Africa with a huge technological advancement and forced thousands of Africans into years of extensive labor until they died. This fact illustrates, without a doubt, that while machines can be great tools someone always has the better machine and will use to control everything/everyone they want. One of the favorite quotes from Dune is, “I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.” This quote holds dear to me because I went zip-lining recently and I realized how incredible and truly amazing the event was, however, I would have been able to do it many years before if fear did not overcome me and make me too afraid to perform the task. I honestly believe that “fear” is in fact the “mind killer” and when you lose that fear you are able to do so much more than you could have ever imagined. Without a doubt, facing your fears is something that every person should do before it is too late because if you spend your life in fear, truthfully, you never really lived in the first place. However, I believe that once you lose that fear other great emotions take the space where that fear had once resided.
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Nikki Gandhi
8/26/2015 12:10:31 pm
People have always hated change. When trains were first created, we thought of them as monsters, evil man made machines. We know Henry David Thoreau thought so. Progression scares people, thats no doubt. I always see posts about people saying "put your phone down for a second, live life." Or "when I was a kid..." Now I see the argument that when we live behind our screens we miss out on things, but that doesnt mean we're also learning more than we would have without it. Our technology has made it so that we can interact with anyone, around the world, ever. Go back 50 years and tell someone that right now, I can talk to someone all the way in Russia. They'll laugh. Its possible. Go back and tell someone I can take and develop a picture in less than 10 minutes. No way. Tell someone I can listen to music coming from a tiny box no bigger than 3 inches, yet has over 5000 songs. Impossible. Of course theres the argument that technology has made us less sociable and yes, to some extent, but how easy is it with a phone to create a meeting with friends or get some help through facebook messaging on homework or pull up a funny image on your phone to show to your friends because you want to share a little bit of joy. Not only that but technology greatly helps those with social anxiety and autism. Why should we revert back? Because people are on facebook all the time, sharing the things that make them happy to others, chatting with their long distant friends and creating groups to benefit their causes. Being human has never been so easy. As for the quote, I believe its saying that once we start relying on technology to do our biddings, we will find ourselves trapped. The Fremen never really used MODERN technology and if they were to start, it would not make them any different from the Emperors army.
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Victor Guo
8/26/2015 12:43:46 pm
1. My interpretation of the quote is this: humans are greedy. Those who gave up their thinking to the machines did so in order to fulfil their greed for freedom and those who enslaved the others did so to fulfil their greed for other things. The promise that machines bring for freedom are extremely inciting; unlimited access to knowledge, continued effortless research and greater convenience in our daily lives. However people want more even without the need to do much of their own thinking and everyone could live equally there are still people who want more and those people would use the system to their own advantage. So ultimately the greed in some people, even in an equal world where everyone is happy, is unable to be satisfied.
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Maher Rahman
8/27/2015 06:50:47 am
Near the Beginning of book 2, while Hawat and some of his fallen soldiers are with the Fremen, one of the Fremen Tribesman says this, "We will treat your comrade with the same reverence we treat our own". This statement is possibly one of the most anti-racist statements in Dune, and it speaks to me. Currently, and during the time the book was written, the civil rights movement and Racism was really high. A statement such as this shows how much respect Hawat and his men had with the Fremen, that they showed equal respect back. Hawat joins the Fremen, and they welcome him, a stranger, with open arms as a long time friend. Perhaps if modern society could learn from this, if we could learn to treat others the same way we treat our own race, the issue with Racism wouldn't be prevalent.
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Robin Dimaunahan
8/27/2015 07:21:29 am
I don't think society could ever give up technology. It has a tremendous amount of positive application. For example phones are small devices that fit in your pocket that not only provide entertainment but double as a GPS, watch, flashlight, calculator, etc. Rejecting this or any technological advice wouldn't be logical. These devices make life easier and their applications aren't necessarily all negative. They are a tool, and like such, some people do not know how to properly utilize them
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Albert Chen
8/27/2015 07:41:40 am
1. How humanity use technology is the key to everything. The whole purpose of technology is to improve human’s standard of living. With the creation of technology, humans can contact with other humans miles away with a single click of a button. This is all thanks to the internet, a milestone in technology. It is imminent that technology improved people’s lives such as cars and phones. But the question is does this so called technology actually benefit humans? The way we use technology determines this question. Using technology daily, using it till addiction, of course would result in a bad factor to our lives, but in order to never achieve this we have to not let technology take over our lives. Although technology improves our lives, it can also hinder our lives.
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Vivan Kothari
8/27/2015 08:40:15 am
1) My opinion of this quote revolves around technology-- depicted as "machines" in the quote. Ever since the age of technology has come about, our lives have been circling around gadgets and electronics. The quote is trying to convey that man once thought machines (technology) would bring about a new age that would free him of burdens that could now be solved through those "machines". As displayed through the quote, however, the "machines" were consumed by man himself and used the power of the machine to enslave other men. I definitely agree with this quote, as it can be seen in society today. Our cell phones only work through data and connection provided by other companies (the "men") and our wi-fi is given to us through another provider. We buy our laptops through companies and stores who sell them and our gaming systems are also given to us through exterior forces. To a vast extent, we are becoming what the quote is depicting and our surroundings are a massive aspect in proving this notion correct. Although the technology was created to forward human knowledge to another level, its impact on society has hindered the true meaning of why technology came about in the first place.
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Geo Aickareth
8/27/2015 09:23:44 am
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Jason Tran
8/27/2015 10:59:28 am
The way you gave an example of the quote in society is exactly how I would provide an example of the quote relating to today’s society. From a logical standpoint, the world would be in catastrophe if society gave up technology since it is such a significant part of people’s daily lives and also the world mostly runs on technology. My favorite quote from Dune is, “The mystery of life isn’t a problem to solve, but a reality to experience.” I feel that this can really relate to life. Many people want to live a life with no problems and having it all planned out, but the reality is that it’s impossible to live a life like that. As a result, people complain about their problems and only whine about it. I believe that is the great thing about life and that’s how life should be lived because we grow and learn from the experience we go through. Even though some things may be a problem, solving the problem is what makes life rewarding and makes it an experience that people are supposed to go through and in the end become wiser and appreciate the journey.
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Farah Hashmi
8/27/2015 11:07:00 am
The amount of truth in this quote, especially in regards of reality and one's transition to adulthood, is pretty spot on. Such a transition is often hard to pinpoint or describe, yet i feel that awareness of the future and self realization are the first few steps toward maturity. Why? Because with the thought of one's future comes knowledge, and with knowledge comes experience- the very thing that counteracts naivety and also spurs our growth. The day we begin speculating the future is not only the day we acknowledge ourselves as adults – for with such speculation comes the ideas of maturity, ambition, and fear (all of which are associated with our aspirations and possibilities)- but also the day we finally acknowledge reality. As children we choose to ignore reality and live in our sheltered bubbles, disregarding anything that doesn't seem to immediately concern us. But once we become aware of ourselves and the world around us, once we realize how delicate and important the future is, we accept our own capability and responsibility as individuals. Experiencing such a thing drives away any remnants of childhood naivety- because in order to survive in such a reality, we are forced to put aside our youth and think seriously of the repercussions our actions have on the future. That is adulthood- stressing for the future, and realizing how our every action impacts our fate. It's a slap in the face, one that has us crashing back down to earth. Thus, we stop daydreaming and begin treading carefully.
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Jesse Chao
8/27/2015 11:18:24 am
I feel that the world would not be able to consciously give up technology, if it were taken away, the majority of the world would likely adjust, but there will be people who are lost and cannot live without the use of technology. It's not just the use of social media and metaphorical dying but an actually application such as use of the internet and the ability to see stock markets and conduct business that their life and livelihood might be dependent on. Even then, there are huge implications of not just the use of technology, but the development and manufacturing of it. China would lose all the revenue produced this way and IT jobs in Texas, California, and Silicon Valley would all vanish. The loss of technology eliminates the existence of a lot of tertiary jobs and nearly all of Quaternary jobs.
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Alex Wong
8/27/2015 11:25:02 am
1). I agree that we are too connected to technology today. It is increasingly rare to find people talking face to face rather than staring down at their phone screens. Whether it be in there ear, in their hands, or on their head, the mobility of technology today has made it extremely easy to succumb to the temptation of technology. While technology has made and created possibilities that were previously unimaginable, it has its consequences as well. The effects of modern day technology on the human attention span is also most likely why Mentats are given training to become human computers rather than use actually computers in the Dune universe.
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Shaheen Khimani
8/27/2015 11:25:10 am
1. I, too, agree with your analysis of the quote that you’ve provided. In society today, the effect of technology is prevalent. Silence is filled with the sounds of ringtones, mp3’s blasting music, and televisions blaring. The quote provided by the Reverend Mother is in reference to the use of technology and it’s power to consume our lives. Yet, I’d still like to think that technology does have some clear benefits though. It’s a medium for people from vast distances to come together and get connected. It allows people to exchanged ideas and information more efficient. Hence, I don’t think it’d be able to give it all up. However, I do think our constant dependence on technology as we go on with our daily lives can certainly be lessened. For instance, there is no reason for us to spend more time on our phones than with the people around us. Putting the tablets, smart phones, and Ipods down for us to take a break from the virtual world and enjoy the beautiful surrounding in which we live would benefit us all.
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Shaheen Khimani
8/27/2015 11:37:43 am
I forgot to add my question.
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Alex Wong
8/27/2015 12:22:05 pm
If suddenly shifted in time to live in the past, I would chose to stay and live with the time I currently do. Given that I would have to leave all my family, friends, and essentially everything I have grown used to behind, I would say that it would be too large a change for me to handle. Even though technology has become a distraction to some people, it is what I grew up with and am used to. Technology has also made today's quality of life higher than it ever has been and also made it possible to instantly communicate with people and spread news of events that happened on the other side of the world within minutes. I can not imagine getting used to living without the conveniences made possible by technology, even if it is leading to crippling dependence. Such a withdrawal from the addictive technology that we have would be too large a change for me to accept willingly.
Ragini Kondetimmanahalli
8/27/2015 11:48:53 am
I definitely agree with your opinion on technology. Obviously technology has improved our lives in ways we can't even imagine, but in our day to day lives, it has too much of a presence. People will sit right next to each other and text each other instead of having a conversation face to face.
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Melanie Lo
8/27/2015 11:54:22 am
I agree with some aspects of your analysis as our generation has now became a slave to technology, however I also believe that without technology, we wouldn't be as globally interconnected with each other. Now that we have technology, there is no possible way to live without it as everything relies on the internet such as me posting this response right now. For instance, if a student was absent on a school day, instead of having to ask the teacher for the missing work on the following day, the student can conveniently find this work on Edmodo or etc. We heavily rely on technology, but since nowadays even 3-year-olds can be reliant on them so much that I feel like humans are abusing this knowledge for such mindless entertainment as candy crush.
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Sarah Thomas
8/27/2015 12:27:30 pm
Technology is something that people have been making predictions about since it first became useful. When people began creating things, utilizing technology, nobody would’ve thought that it would have come this far. Now, it isn’t entirely crazy to think that machines could continue to grow, to the most extreme maximum point. But what if it did? This quote makes me wonder what could happen if technology becomes more powerful then man, and at this rate, it could maybe potentially happen. Nowadays, our phones are the one of our most valued sources. We use it for basically everything. You can text, call, read books, listen to music, and so much more. The average human probably relies on their phone for a navigation purposes, as well as social media. Even kids in kindergarten are beginning to have phones, and they don’t even know how to read yet! At this rate, it’s almost inevitable that technology will become too powerful, and this quote makes it seem even more possible.
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Sarah Thomas
8/27/2015 12:32:32 pm
Also, do you think the world could live without access to technology now, even after we have been exposed to it for so long?
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Jenny Lang
8/27/2015 12:30:47 pm
I agree with your analysis because it is true that technology has integrated itself into every corner of our society, that is essentially dictates our lives. There are many people who can barely stay away from their phones or computers that there has even been an app developed to track people’s app usage and to notify them they’ve passed an hour mark so that they can take a break away from their screens. I also really do like Princess Irulan’s quote: “There is no escape – we pay for the violence of our ancestors” because it is evident in society today. Shifting away from the techonology scene for a little bit, it’s been commonly said that our future generations may not even have the same resources we have today because of the rate we’ve been using them. The “violence of our ancestors” is the violence we cause to our Earth and surroundings which was another message that Herbert was trying to get across to his readers with the spice. If we continue to cause harm to our Earth and deplete it of its resources because of our present needs, we will leave our future children and grandchildren with an inevitable struggle for survival, in which they cannot escape.
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Nithin Kakulavara
8/27/2015 12:35:38 pm
I completely agree with your thoughts, technology is such an important asset to our daily lives now days, and it seems almost as if society can’t sustain life without it, let alone revert back to old times. As far as the quote is concerned, technology is indeed taking over the world, but we, as humans, have to take advantage and prosper off this phenomenon, instead of taking it for granted. In today’s world, the scope of technology offers such a vast expanse of information that capturing even a gist of it serves overwhelming. For example, the idea of the phone has evolved so much in the past 10 years, that now almost every person has the capability of talking to someone on the other side of the world, and of that population most of users are able to video chat with other people, mimicking face-to-face communication through technology. Of course this has its down sides as well, as now people are indulging in the methods of technology and are becoming lazier by the second, but we are so reliant on technology that reverting back to a time with none is implausible.
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Kenji Chong
8/27/2015 12:57:54 pm
I agree with what you had said about how today, the kids of our generation have become enslaved to the internet. In a way we have become social recluses (outside in the real world) while we are being socially active (on the internet). We tend to lose our way of communication outside of our little keyboard.
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Kenji Chong
8/27/2015 01:02:59 pm
My favorite quote from Dune is, "The mind commands the body and it obeys. The mind orders itself and meets resistance." This quote speaks to me because it tells me that I have control over what happens in my life and I can control what my future will be like.
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Ching Liuhuang
8/27/2015 01:21:41 pm
Living in the 21st Century comes with the exponential advancement of technology as defined by Moore’s Law. That being said, as technology improves faster and faster, our lives will be simpler and more convenient. It’s not that technology is here to take over the lives of humans; instead, technology is here to enhance our lives. The instant access to Facebook and news has revolutionized the modern day politics, providing instant information to users of smartphones. Machines already existed at least a century ago, but such machines don’t enslave us. The invention of the production line and factor equipment did not make us lazier; instead, it allows us to do more with less with higher efficiency and convenience. The same thing applies to the advancements of today’s technology on the mobile platform, which serves as a form of entertainment, but just as much as a form of productivity. The best thing is, it’s just going to get better. On the other hand, my favorite quote is “Observe the plans within plans within plans” (73), as this just explains that there’s much more beneath the surface, while emphasizing the importance of staying ahead to win.
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Sabrina Shaikh
8/27/2015 01:22:03 pm
I completely agree with the quote. Society has become so engulfed in technology that its come to a point where we cannot live without it. It's almost over bearing and controlling, but has been integrated to our everyday lives. Separating people from technology, especially our generation, would cause for some massive chaos because we are so dependent on it.
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