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These are useful techniques but they kind of miss the point. They all concentrate on the question of how to do something, but completely ignore the (much more i
by dunkelheit 11y ago
These are useful techniques but they kind of miss the point. They all concentrate on the question of how to do something, but completely ignore the (much more interesing in my opinion) question of what to do. Besides raw intellectual ability good answer to this question requires creativity and also philosophical and ethical skills (that includes the ability to make tough decisions). Much harder.
Worth remembering who the mentats were in the Dune universe - servants of those in power.
- DiabloD3 11y agoActually, I'm surprised the Dune universe never explored people who undertook at least some mentat training, at least in secret, to become better leaders, instead of merely relying on that group of human computers.
- david-given 11y agoThere's definitely references to people doing exactly that --- Paul Atreides is the one I can immediately find, although of course he's special.
- DiabloD3 11y agoYeah, Paul is the product of generations of research into trying to produce their equivalent of the ubermensch, the Kwisatz Haderach. He does receive training as a Mentat from Thufir Hawat, but I think it is implied that such a thing only worked because of his Bene Gesserit training and the fact he is a superior example of humanity. It's been awhile since I've read through the Dune novel, I should go read it again.
- beschizza 11y agoIsn't Paul Atreides being secretly trained as such by Hawat? Or was it just Bene Gesserit training?
- DiabloD3 11y agoA bit of column A, a bit of column B. See my other reply.
- bordercases 11y agoSome things don't have whole answers that can be indexed in a wiki. Wisdom is extremely lossy in compression.
- Kinnard 11y agoActually on this point, Muad'dib was a mentat, and I think that's completely acoincidental with him being the Kwitsatz Haderach.
- douche 11y agoI think Muad'dib's Mentat training was one reason he didn't turn out to be the Kwisatz Haderach that the Bene Gesserit were counting on. Besides the whole part where Jessica jumped the gun and jiggled her ovaries to produce Duke Atreides a son, instead of the daughter who was supposed to grow up to marry Feyd-Rautha.