I think there even is a case to be made about how Frank Herbert is the anti-L. Ron Hubbard

Ah yeah they absolutely are two branches off the same tree! I've heard the tree is called Alfred Korzybski but I'm not super familiar myself. But yeah I was thinking the other day about how Dune is replete with "tech" in the Scientologist sense. I feel like "not becoming a cult leader" is a pretty low bar, but their parallel evolution is a pretty fascinating case study.

Also as far as Dune discourse is concerned, there is one thing no one talks about that is very important to me, and it is that in Children of Dune Frank Herbert implicitly acknowledges that Irulan is an acronym of "urinal".

“The fact that I remember the expression and you’ve never even heard it before should give you pause,” Ghanima said. “It was an old expression of scorn when you Bene Gesserit were young. But if that doesn’t chasten you, ask yourself what your royal parents could’ve been thinking of when they named you Irulan? Or is it Ruinal?”

In spite of her training, Irulan flushed. “You’re trying to goad me, Ghanima.”

IRULAN FLUSHED!!!!!!!! I love it. I wish Herbert had allowed himself to be this silly more often. Imagine a world where Dune had been more like Whipping Star!

The worst aspects of FH I’m aware of are that he was a shitty fucking parent and hated Iron Maiden, unambiguously evil seems stretching it, unless you were his son.

Also a speech writer for various Republicans, a Reagan fan obviously and a big boring libertarian muh freedom from ~~taxes~~ government tyranny. His main edge over Ayn Rand is the weird evopsych ecofascist stuff.