I'm convinced Herbert had some deep knowledge of psi phenomena. His descriptions of truthsayers reading people, timelines, race consciousness, and prescience are very similar to real experiences. His emphasis that it emerges through a combination of genetics and training of subtle awareness, plus the suggestion compounds could provide access to a state that could be sustained without them - also ring very true. The exploration of its paradoxes (destructiveness and utility of prophecy), and the contrast of those intuitive skills with the pure analytical ones of the mentat (or even of thinking machines) are also very deep. I think the idea that humanity's future involves a deeper engagement with and interplay of all these forces is also super likely. Perhaps he was friends, through his naval service, with people in the UK's version of Stargate (US psi and remote viewing programs). Surely there was such a program, tho I'm not aware of any releases of information about it.
Herbert and similar are the release of information, the main "psi phenomenon" explored over the XX century being precisely the remotely induced belief in "psi phenomena". That rabbit hole goes deep, though I have my doubts as to whether it leads out.
I'm not talking belief either, I'm talking praxis ;)
IME, what you refer to by a Greek letter is either "just there" as part of one's perceptual and cognitive functioning, or "just isn't" - the latter obviously being the predominant case, being more adaptive for survival in a newly Enclosed world. One even has some degree of control as to enabling or disabling it. Without guidance as to avoiding its many pitfalls, though, it's still very easy to end up in a psychotic state, or some other uncomfortable frame and shape. Subsequently, the manifestation of cosmic love commonly called "natural selection" does what it's known to do...
(My pet theory is that Abrahamic faiths, the promotion of Christianity to state-religion, and the consequent Dark Ages, were all parts of a sort of mass political reaction to people overdoing that sort of thing. Took a bunch more centuries than expected to even force it underground, though. And, as these things go, it reemerged nearly simultaneously in the form of the indigenous knowledges of colonized folk, who were subjected to more of the same violence, and then some.)
What was being tested last century is whether the so-called "they" can switch it on or off for you, remotely; authors of fantastic literature, even if not directly informed from "on high", happen to be in a good position to sense these workings and conduct discourses on them. Makes for good business, too, since it is only natural for humans to want some enchantment in their lives. However, the background psychological pressures of living in perpetual encirclement naturally (well, mimetically) drive people to compartmentalization, such as the confining of these experiential coagulates into the sphere of "fictions" (if not outright "delusions", the distinction being, for the most part, simply of medium of conveyance.)
Thankfully, as we all know, fiction is something that doesn't exist, and it doesn't take much to realize how this statement cuts both ways.
You have a particular view. For me what's important is my experience. Theories are not really anything unless I can use it for that. But we can discuss it.
Regarding the difficulties, yeah that's why proper training is required, which social suppression hampers. Now with new age everything, psi's basically mainstream. Future is bright. In terms of evolution, I think it bifurcates, but that just pushes for the selection of people who can handle it. Ultimately we win. There's sufficient material for people to find their own way rn, tho still not easy.
Regarding the sociological history you propose: interesting theory, consider the black cross placed on the 3rd-eye on Ash Wednesday - ritual suppression? But I don't think any political force has shaped globally this aspect of humanity. I think what people have gone through with this is more the natural consequence of that ability engaging with the world during a time of ignorance. Evolution can involve struggle, aspects of this might include just another struggle, one of humanity's many. Which doesn't mean it all has to be struggle, and everyone's experience is different. But it's understandable that people might face struggle sometimes. I don't think it has to be that way. I think a lot of it is ignorance, and a lack of a proper framework. In a sense I think religions may be more attempts to provide frameworks for these things than suppressions of them. Tho it probably cuts both ways.
Regarding mimetic control of psi in the population: I highly doubt a few fictional portrayals was testing turning this on and off for people. There's been narrative (non-fiction or not) portrayals of these abilities across cultures...for ever?
Don't be misled by seeing ghosts in shadows - ie, by misinterpreting the unseen parts of some covert programs to convince yourself such whatever have more power than they do, i.e. don't fill in the blanks with your fears. Just like in Dune: fear is the mind killer man. Fear is your reality killer. So true. In a sense, Jesus provides a fairly good approach - the highest commandment - love. To create a heaven on Earth around you. Or stay in fear and create your own hell. More so if you're activated, because you're gonna warp reality more. Gotta stay high vibe, very important!
I do think that "Life on Earth" in general pushes this kind of ability to wake up. It's human nature - whether by suppression or support, any kind of engagement with someone's psi ability is going to push this to wake up in people. Pressing down, will push back. It just create another reaction. Keep in mind, it's not "not there" (you said it's either there or not), it's a bell curve, it's not binary. Some people are not aware of many things, psi included. With training in subtle awareness they'd become aware of many things, and psi would be included in that. It's like learning to play a sport: there's talent and there's training. But most people can grasp it given the opportunity.
If you want to attribute manipulation in the psi realm, consider people are embedded in a larger reality which largely is unseen - manipulations mostly come from these unseen realms, not from any human scheming. How to handle? Take care of yourself, realize there's nothing to fear and stay aligned with what's good. It's okay if this is not something you see, but hopefully this helps.
You're welcome :) Another thing to keep in mind is, it's very adaptive to have prescience. See the tiger before it comes. Where there might be trouble is if the tap is turned on too much - no training, no framework, no strategy for handling it, maybe even no recognition of what it is - as it sometimes is in people. Then you might be overwhelmed, confused, and maybe fighting back - against something that actually could assist you were you to wield it properly.
I think most people have some amount of this, and have avoided the necessity and possible difficulty of handling it, by it being subconscious - their "gut" - (which is not always this, and may sometimes just be "analytical intuition" rather than "intuitive intelligence"). This arrangement gives them both "plausible deniability" if they want to dismiss psi in general, and protection from responsibility to develop it - which could entail tricky feedback loops etc without proper training.
So it's certainly evolved with us and is very adaptive, but I think the expression is mostly as a "subliminal subsystem" of your normal capacities. Just like training in subtle awareness can make you aware of things you might normally not pay attention to nor realize you have control over (such as heartbeat and breathing), it can also surface this.
Might be. That'd certainly explain the ambulance I saw there on my way back, the dripping wet shape on the stretcher, covered with some sort of tarp (which I thought I recognized as torn from a nearby beach bar that'd been closed for the winter, emergency services over here being underfunded as they are.) But idk, they might've been picking up a beached dolphin or something. (With an ambulance?!)
It is absolutely the truth that a liar will automatically have a difficult time knowing when another person is being truthful. They will both automatically tend to believe the person is lying and not know how to recognize the signs that a person is being completely truthful.
It's the opposite of an honest person being more easily conned. It's not in their expectations, because of their own lack of devious ways.
That's part of the reason that dictators rise to power on the backs of the gullible -- most people are just not that utterly ruthless, dishonest, or mean-spirited. All these GOP folks being fired and deported by Trump are just incapable of comprehending either how vile the man is or how stupid they are (which is why he targeted them with his cons).
And America would be in a better situation right now if more Americans had their heads out of their asses enough to know that that is a bad, bad dude, who cares about one and only one person: himself and those that serve him.
All that said, the first step to recognizing liars is to be brutally truthful, especially with yourself. The worst lies we tell are the ones we tell ourselves.
[ETA: ps: I love you, my friend. Keep shining your light!]
Yeah, self-awareness is necessary for these abilities. It's also a form of subtle awareness - that level of introspection and awareness of inner emotion and thought helps you comprehend other people. Like Van Gogh training himself on self-portraits, to then paint and see others. You need it, definitely! Well, at least it helps. I disagree with you on Trump, but I guess we can still be friends right?
