AI, Desert Planets and Jihads

In Robert Heinlein's Red Planet, the colonised desert planet Mars rebels against Earth and, in Heinlein's Stranger In A Strange Land, a new religion emanates from Mars.

In Isaac Asimov's future history, artificial intelligence and interstellar empire interact and later the Empire falls. AI is resisted, because of the "Frankenstein Complex," but covertly plays a leading role.

In Frank Herbert's future history, there is an interstellar jihad against thinking machines. Later, the colonized desert planet Dune initiates a second interstellar jihad and conquers the Empire.

In Poul Anderson's History of Technic Civilization, the colonized desert planet Aeneas rebels against the Terran Empire and, later, almost initiates an interstellar jihad. Much later, the Empire falls. In Anderson's Harvest of Stars future history, some Martian colonials rebel against the AI controlling Earth because the priorities of pure intellect differ from those of organic societies with lived and living traditions. In Anderson's Genesis, post-human galactic AI debates whether the presiding intelligence of Earth had been right to re-create humanity.

This post alludes to two novels by Heinlein, one future history each by Asimov and Herbert and three future histories by Anderson. Heinlein, Asimov and Herbert are better known but Anderson does it better.