Dune and Philosophy

FINAL CALL

Volume Editor: Jeffery Nicholas (jefferynicholas AT gmail.com)

Open Court continues their Pop Culture and Philosophy series with a volume on Frank Herbert’s Dune series (Dune, Dune Messiah, Children of Dune, God-Emperor of Dune, Heretics of Dune, and Chapterhouse Dune) or the movies based on the books. 

Any philosophical perspective is welcomed.  Particular areas of interest include Environmental Philosophy and Ethics, Philosophy of Technology, Political Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion, and Philosophical Anthropology, but we strongly encourage you to be creative, and welcome submissions from less obvious areas. 


POSSIBLE TOPICS:

• Cloning: What is the Value of Gaining a Lost Love?
• Riding the Sandworm: The Place of Practices in Human Life
• Using Religion for Statecraft
• The OCB: Do the Monotheistic Religions Share a Central Core
• Religion as a Source of Civilization
• Environmental Literacy for Americans
• Water-price: To Whom Does the Earth Belong
• Seeing in the Dark Spaces: Essential Differences between Men and Women?
• Identity and Place: Are we where we were born?
• The Butlerian Jihad: Can Machines Replace Man?
• Is Baron Harkonnen a Disciple of Machiavelli? 
• Is Paul Plato’s Philosopher-King: The Mentat as Thinker

GUIDELINES: 

Accepted proposals will bring philosophical concepts, arguments, and/or sensibilities to bear on issues or ideas latent in, or raised by, the Dune series.  Essays should be jargon-free and appealing to an intelligent lay reader who seeks to learn about Dune and its various connections to philosophical ideas and traditions. Papers should be around 12 to 20 pages total.