<Dune> Warning Software Developers

Frank Herbert’s is a novel for engineers. What this novel warns about is the existence of the ‘superhuman.’ Superhumans are dictators who can control society, people who escape regulation, and uncontrollable groups. We collectively refer to such people as ‘powerful figures.’

Power dulls emotions. The existence of power removes dependency on others, so there is no need to disperse energy on the empathy required to gain help from others, which is necessary for human survival. In other words, it’s because it doesn’t aid survival. Our brains extremely dislike wasting energy. If you have power, you won’t focus all your energy on understanding others’ intentions.

For those dealing with software, it’s a world where one can possess immense power. Software has made human life convenient, but it has also created a life dependent on software. Thanks to this, developers live in a world where they can create influential software and easily control people’s dopamine. Of course, it’s not something allowed to everyone, but it’s not impossible.

Let’s take blockchain as an example. The recent blockchain market is targeting developers. Low fees, tools for developers. If blockchain is successfully introduced and applied to the mainstream market, developers can now control finance. From an era where software was distributed worldwide with a single click, if payments are received from around the world, perhaps the dream of deregulation pursued by decentralization can be achieved.

Dune warns about such situations. In the novel, the protagonist eventually becomes a dictator and, based on the ability to accurately foresee the future, annihilates competing forces. He is depicted as someone who killed a staggering 61 billion people.

The novel shows how dangerous unchecked power is and how important the power of consensus, compromise, and communication with society is. Ironically, I think the possibility of realizing transparent democracy through blockchain suggests that there should be sufficient discussion and consensus before humanity accepts technology.