The Evolution of Free Will in Frank Herbert's Dune
The Evolution of Free Will in Frank Herbert's Dune Galeković, Filip Master's thesis / Diplomski rad 2020 Degree Grantor / Ustanova koja je dodijelila akademski / stručni stupanj: University of Rijeka, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences / Sveučilište u Rijeci, Filozofski fakultet Permanent link / Trajna poveznica: https://urn.nsk.hr/urn:nbn:hr:186:319560 Rights / Prava: In copyright Download date / Datum preuzimanja: 2021-09-29 Repository / Repozitorij: Repository of the University of Rijeka, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences - FHSSRI Repository UNIVERSITY OF RIJEKA FACULTY OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES THE EVOLUTION OF FREE WILL IN FRANK HERBERT’S DUNE Filip Galeković Rijeka, 2020 1 University of Rijeka Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Department of English Language and Literature The Evolution of Free Will in Frank Herbert’s Dune Student: Filip Galeković (MBG: 0009070096) Mentor: Prof. Lovorka Gruić-Grmuša, PhD Rijeka, September 2020 2 Abstract The topic of free will is a very complex one, no matter what context one might put it in. In contemporary terms, its existence is as of yet undecided, and it is unclear whether we will ever be able to offer a satisfying conclusion to the matter. What we can do, however, is to discuss free will in a more easily digestible frame of reference, like that of Dune. Being a science-fiction novelist, Frank Herbert had the opportunity to play around with a number of interesting topics, and it is my goal to discuss a very particular one: determinism. By describing Dune as deterministic, I will create a framework for the central problem of this thesis: is it possible for a deterministic subject to develop free will? The notion that something like free will might arise in a purely deterministic universe is a curious one, not least because it is not something we often come across.
[Show full text]