Dune: Spice, Religion and Humanity without Machines

Throughout history, people have imagined what the future might look like, sometimes in bold visions, and sometimes in outlandish predictions. Dreams of a Future Past is a podcast that explores how humanity has dreamed of the future through movies, technology, philosophy, and design.

Dune imagines a future where humanity rejects thinking machines and instead pushes human potential to its extremes, creating Mentats, Bene Gesserit, and entire cultures engineered to replace technology. Its world warns that overreliance on machines can erode human agency, while also suggesting that true power comes from mastering the mind and controlling scarce resources.