LogFAQs > #979152145

ROBANN_88 posted...

is that word supposed to be prevalent in Dune?

Probably the biggest historical event prior to the events of Dune is the Butlerian Jihad, in which humanity overthrew the technological overlords who were enslaving them and banned "thinking machines" (computers and AI).

It is also called jihad when the Fremen overthrow their oppressors and destroy the galactic empire in Paul's name.

Herbert himself used the term in a very nuanced way--that the violence is obviously terrible but sometimes is the only way for oppressed people to overcome imperialism and even greater violence of their oppressors.

However, he also only uses the term in relation to violent conflict, which plays into the general perception people in the west have of only seeing the term as meaning this. The term is actually very broad and refers to all kinds of struggle or overcoming hardship. So I can see why they might have thought it was better to avoid the word in that context.