Dictionary

Butlerian jihad en · NOUN

Etymology

From Butlerian + jihad (“holy war, crusade”), from the science fiction epic Dune (1965). Butlerian refers to English novelist Samuel Butler, whose 1872 work Erewhon describes a society that destroys all complex machines preemptively out of fear of their replacement by those very machines.

Meanings

1. A war waged in the Duneverse by the last free humans against autonomous (“thinking”) machines; the Great Revolt.
   • Dune holds up today, says writer Alastair Reynolds, when many science fiction novels of its era don’t, in part because [Frank] Herbert future-proofed it, by setting his story 20,000-odd years ahead, after the “Butlerian Jihad” has replaced intelligent machines with human minds. 2021 October 18, Alison Flood, “Dune: science fiction’s answer to Lord of the Rings”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 01 Aug 2022:
   • At the time of the Butlerian Jihad, Omnius and his thinking machines had held all of the “Synchronized Worlds” in an iron grip for a thousand years. 2003, Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson, The Butlerian Jihad (Legends of Dune), London: New English Library, →ISBN, page 3:
   • “‘Thou shalt not make a machine in the likeness of a man's mind,’” Paul quoted. “Right out of the Butlerian Jihad and the Orange Catholic Bible,” she said. “But what the O.C. Bible should've said is: ‘Thou shalt not make a machine to counterfeit a human mind.’ 1965 October 1, Frank Herbert, “Book I: Dune”, in Dune, Philadelphia, Pa.: Chilton Book Company; [Toronto], Ont.: Thomas Nelson & Sons, →OCLC, pages 11–12:
2. (broadly, qualifier:artificial intelligence) A notional large-scale and vehement opposition to and suppression of artificial intelligence.
   • Well, Daniel Kokotajlo, thank you so much. And I will see you on the front lines of the Butlerian Jihad soon enough. 2025 May 15, Ross Douthat, “An Interview With the Herald of the Apocalypse”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 21 May 2025:

Forms

Relateds

Erewhonian

wikipedia: Samuel Butler (novelist) · wikipedia: Dune (novel) · wikipedia: Erewhon