I've always found Bret to have a very distinctive style - one might call it "nerdy" if one had to pick one word. Not just that he talks about LotR and Star Wars

I've always found Bret to have a very distinctive style - one might call it "nerdy" if one had to pick one word. Not just that he talks about LotR and Star Wars, but also the way he talks/writes. If you don't like his style, fine, you're allowed to dislike it, _de gustibus non est disputandum_. But I'm genuinely curious if you have a point of more substance behind this claim. As to basic knowledge - I think the Fremen Mirage series in particular is getting at an important point that should be basic knowledge, but is not; popular culture gets this backwards in so many ways. I think you are making a valid point with your Gordian Knot analogy, but I personally think that's a much better failure mode than pulling out the sword as your default answer to any problem. Bret has this thing about needing to prove even outright fascist claims factually wrong before denouncing them for any other reasons, but I still prefer that many times over to the "if an argument supports our side, who cares if it's true?" approach.