Conversation between a Nerd and an Idiot

An unfortunate discussion about Pages 309-362 of “Dune”




Nerd: I don't know what to write about.

Idiot: Where are you in the book?

Nerd: End of part two.  Jessica just became the Fremen Reverend Mother.

Idiot: You can talk about weird spice orgies.

Nerd: And say what?

Idiot:  Cosmic.
 
Nerd:  I should just post the one word?

Idiot: Or you could say “Dune: it’s so cosmic it’ll make your dick explode”

Nerd: I’m not actually sure that cosmic is the right description of that last part, though.  Cosmic implies the cosmos, and there’s nothing about the cosmos in the end of Part 2.  It’s much more concerned with time.  I mean, I guess it’s interesting that a book so grounded in science fiction talks so little about space, but I’m not sure I’d call it cosmic.

Idiot: Well, the last person I talked to about that part of the book said it was cosmic.

Nerd:  Then they’re wrong.  Cosmic has to do with a cosmos, and describing the features and behavior of a cosmos.  I can see someone describing the end of Part 2 in “Dune” as metaphysical, because metaphysics is more focused on religious and philosophical descriptions of humanity, death, life, etc.  And the only reason ‘cosmic’ is used as a synonym is because metaphysics, and religion, typically deal with defining the behavior of the world according to a philosophy or ideology.  But the word ‘cosmic’ is all about planets and galaxies and the actual features of the universe and space.

Idiot: The book takes place in space.

Nerd:  Yeah, but there’s no real discussion about inter-planetary relationships or gravitational theory or anything like that.  Jessica sees the distant past.  Paul looks into a troubling future.  What about that has anything to do with stars and different planets?

Idiot: They’re on a different planet. 

Nerd: But that’s not the point of the end of the part 2.  No one mentions it at all, and it has absolutely nothing to do with the actual features of a cosmos like stars and black holes.  Nothing about Jessica’s experiences have anything to do with science at all, really.

Idiot:  They go from one planet to another planet. That’s cosmic.

Nerd:  It’s not cosmic! They don’t even really describe space-travel at that point.  It’s just implied.

Idiot:  Planets are in space.

Nerd bludgeons Idiot about the face and neck with nearest available object and screams “Shut the hell up! I’m trying to have a conversation!”