This is the official hexbear Dune discussion thread (not really)
I watched the new Dune and enjoyed the films from a cinematic/fantasy perspective but wasn't super on-board with the politics as I thought the message was simply 'leaders bad', but what didn't come across (imo) from the movies and what I'm learning from discussion of the books is that the message is more nuanced than that: Herbert's message wasn't "don't blindly follow leaders because they're evil", but "don't blindly follow leaders because movements based on blind belief are a force of their own and can sweep everyone up into a mess, even if that was not at all the intention", and there are of course examples of that happening throughout human history. I want to hear all of your thoughts on the books, the films, and the messages. Thanks. 
Herbert was so into the ecological side I think that there’s room to explore belief and faith through the lens of humans as part of the environment and how our internal experiences tangibly interact with the ecology.
I haven’t really explored this, but it’s a thought that’s been percolating a bit.
Your second part of the post really ties into book 2 which is an absolute takedown of the great man theory of history. Give somebody prescience and they become a complete subject of the trends and forces they can now clearly see from a zoomed out perspective.
all prescience ever gives the people of dune is the power to see how insignificant they are. its tragic.