Brian Herbert Quotes
The more tightly packed the group, the greater the need for strict social ranks and orders.
Herbert, Brian, and Kevin J. Anderson. Dune: House Atreides. Bantam Books, 1999.
Manava Dharma Shastra. The Hindus believe in reincarnation and that the souls of animals move up the ladder and if they are good are eventually born as humans (Sudras). These are the lowest caste in this terribly discriminatory system—the “untouchables.” But if a Sudra lives a pious life and accepts his lot, he is reincarnated as a higher cast human (twice born). This law illustrates the incredible discrimination that the cast system produced. In modern India, the caste system is illegal and there is no discrimination in law or by government. However it is still terribly evident in social life, marriage, employment and most phases of Indian society. This text is a part of the Hindu Holy Texts. Hindus believe that Manu was a prophet whose text is revealed or inspired.
In the Nez Perce and most other Native American societies, there were Chiefs and occasionally, for special circumstances, War Chiefs, but few if any other officials, thus producing a very flat, egalitarian society. But the whites had many layers of bureaucrats and petty officials. Governors, The President, Members of Congress, State Legislators, Generals, Sheriffs, Indian Agents, tax collectors, and the like. On the Papago Indian reservation, there was great difficulty on a construction project as even the concept of a work foreman was an uncomfortable notion. No Papago wanted to be directed or ordered about by anyone else even on a work gang. And do no one wanted to assume a position of authority or be responsive to a fellow other than the Chief and the tribal elders.
This is the first use of the famous phrase—“survival of the fittest.” Spencer thought of it as a synonym for Darwin’s “natural selection”, but modern scientists do not use the phrase because it is circular reasoning. It is the fittest who survive it implies when whichever species survives is obviously fittest for that time and place. It is also misinterpreted as a predation scale war which it is not. The lion is much stronger than the antelopes and feeds on them, but the lions are dying out while the antelopes are thriving and developing. The fittest may be so because the species is a faster and more reliable breeder. Most people with a limited knowledge of evolution and scince associate the fittest with the top predator. However, over time, most top predators have NOT survived as well as many other species which in a predation fight are weak, but are more can handle a wider climate range, can change rapidly in response to natural disaters, can breed efficiently, are resistant to diseases, require less food, and literally thousands of other factors.
Brian Patrick Herbert is an American author who lives in Washington state. He is the elder son of science fiction author Frank Herbert.
