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There are exceptions where the superiority of computers is acknowledged but the lack of use is intended, like Dune.
by brazzledazzle 8y ago
There are exceptions where the superiority of computers is acknowledged but the lack of use is intended, like Dune.
- EamonnMR 8y agoI always got the sense that the reason there aren't computers in Dune was because they can't be coerced in the same way humans could be, and as such would not make an interesting addition to the story he was trying to tell.
- brazzledazzle 8y agoWhoa, don’t pull back the curtain too much. But yeah, it’s definitely a plot convenience. In addition to your very good point it was also a way for Herbert to make transportation through space a monopoly. Technology can be stolen but without computers the Spacing Guild pilots were the secret sauce.
- rsynnott 8y agoYeah, it's definitely designed to create a specific sort of world. Another example is the shields; they make projectile weapons impractical (and, on Arrakis, annoy the sandworms), so that Frank Herbert can write about hand to hand combat.
- brazzledazzle 8y agoThat’s another great example of a plot convenience he used. It’s my favorite because it’s the first one I noticed and frowned at during my first go as a pre-teen. In fact, it was one of the things I cited when I complained to my dad about how much I didn’t like something he’d recommended so highly. It wasn’t until I read it again a year or two later and powered through my suspension of disbelief that I realized how much I loved it too.