Frank Herbert has inspired many people with his descriptions of human beings who developed "more than human" capabilities through training and intensely adverse environments. A
free novel,
reviewed elsewhere on this blog, describes his ideas about the importance of developing superhumans and how he believed you could do so.
One group, calling itself the Bene Gesserit after a sisterhood with extraordinary mastery of body and mind in Herbert's novels, has recently gotten back to work on developing modern Bene Gesserit.
Here is the
Bene Gesserit Training Manual by Daniel Fletcher (generated with contributions from the entire "Bene Gesserit" group) linked on its homepage:
http://www.secrets-of-shuriken.com.au/temp/BG%20Manual.pdfApparently also found at:
http://www.secrets-of-shuriken.com.au/temp/BG%20Manual.pdfPersonally, I had to use the first link to get there. This is a substantial download, being over 215 pages long.
This manual is described as a work in progress, and hence feedback will no doubt be welcome at the
Bene Gesserit's web forum. I'm not sure how much is in there to simulate the Bene Gesserit as described by Herbert and how much was conceived as practical methods to achieve Bene-Gesserit-like talents. Personally, I'm not too thrilled with some of the discussions about manipulation, sexuality, politics and religion (to be fair, I didn't really examine the more distateful elements), but since this manual
is about methods of self-enhancement, I decided to cover it here and let my readers, if interested, be the judge. On the positive side, it seems to have quite a bit of useful information if you're interested in becoming a highly trained agent capable of infiltration, surveillance, martial arts, etc.
I haven't yet had a chance to test out the manual's version of the Truthsense ability, which appears to be heavily based on body language cues, total analysis of the speaker, and so forth, but this might be more effective if based on some obscure self-hypnosis techniques. I really don't know, I haven't had the chance to compare each technique's effectiveness. Oddly enough, the martial arts and internal energy work aspects of the manual seem to be among its best thought out features... though naturally the real test of that would be in face-to-face training (otherwise, everyone would get their black belt from a book =) ). As with many such works this sudden display of insight is perhaps unsurprising... the authors may simply be best at what they've got the most personal experience with (and the most easily assimilated resources to draw upon).
As a guidebook for an organization as yet in the theoretical stages, this manual is quite intriguing. I will agree with the primary author that it is far from complete, but until an actual Bene Gesserit organization forms and is actively training, that is almost inevitable. Still, this is an interesting example of the kind of self-optimization system a group might come up with on its own, and may provide potential students with some good ideas.
Here's an impressive workbook on becoming a Mentat (human computer) by James Meritt. I believe you'll have to sign up for Yahoo Groups (for free) to get it. This download is over 230 pages long and a very thorough conception (from one person's point of view) of how to create a Mentat using modern mental disciplines, strategies and resources. The text ranges from mnemonic (memorization) techniques, to speed math tricks to strategies for negotiation, time management and self-control, to advice on smart drugs and nutrients.
While there are likely powerful elements that could be added to this system if the user knew about them... and/or had substantial financial resources (to explore self-hypnosis, "mindtech" such as sensory deprivation tanks, etc), this is a very good examination of how a normal, reasonably intelligent human being could conceivably self-train until they had access to Mentat-level skills. Which is saying a great deal indeed.
A few other comments and ideas on Mentats can be found on
this Wiki page. Basically, this page gives you links to a few more techniques you could conceivably use to develop Mentat talents, but nothing like the overview, coherence and depth found in the above Mentat handbook.
Future Imperative
