Dune

Duke Leto Atreides I is a fictional character in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. He features in the novel Dune by Frank Herbert and in... the Prelude to Dune prequel trilogy by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. In David Lynch's 1984 film version, Duke Leto was played by Jürgen Prochnow. In the Sci-Fi Channel's 2000 miniseries, William Hurt played the role. Leto I is born in the year 10,140 A.G. on the planet Caladan, to Paulus Atreides and Lady Helena Richese-Atreides. Paulus is the reigning Duke of House Atreides, their noble House ruling Caladan for 26 generations. House Atreides is distantly related to the Imperial House Corrino and has feuded with House Harkonnen since the time of Vorian Atreides, founder of the Atreides family line. Duke Paulus arranges for Leto to spend a portion of his adolescence on planet Ix in the care of House Vernius and its then-Earl, Dominic Vernius — over the objections of Lady Helena. There, Leto becomes fast friends with the Earl's son and daughter, Prince Rhombur and Lady Kailea.
more

Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but... rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical, cinematic or musical work. Fiction contrasts with non-fiction, which deals exclusively with factual events, descriptions, observations, etc. . Realistic fiction, although untrue, could actually happen. Some events, people, and places may even be real. This is termed "faction". It can be possible that in the future imagined events could physically happen. For example, Jules Verne's novel From The Earth To The Moon, which at that time was just a product of his rich imagination, was proven possible in 1969, when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin set foot on the Moon, and the team returned safely to Earth. Realistic fiction strives to make the reader feel as if they're reading something that is actually happening—something that though not real, is described in a believable way that helps the reader make a picture as if it were an actual event.
more

Planetary romance is a type of science fiction or science fantasy story in which the bulk of the action consists of adventures on one or more exotic... alien planets, characterized by distinctive physical and cultural backgrounds. Some planetary romances take place against the background of a future culture where travel between worlds by spaceship is commonplace; others, particularly the earliest examples of the genre, do not, and invoke flying carpets, astral projection, or other methods of getting between planets. In either case, it is the planetside adventures which are the focus of the story, not the mode of travel. As the name of the genre suggests, the planetary romance is an extension of late 19th and early 20th century adventure novels and pulp romances to a planetary setting. The pulp romance featured bold characters in exotic settings and "lost worlds" such as South America, Africa, the Middle or Far East; a variant type took place in real or fictional countries of ancient and medieval times, and eventually contributed to the modern fantasy genre.
more

Military science fiction is a subgenre of science fiction in which the principal characters are members of a military service and an armed conflict... is taking place, normally in space, or on a planet other than Earth. A detailed depiction of the conflict, the tactics used to wage it, and the role of a military service and the individual members of that service forms the basis for a work of military science fiction. The stories often take features of actual past or current Earth conflicts, with countries being replaced by entire planets or galaxies of similar characteristics, battleships replaced by space battleships and certain events changed so that the author can extrapolate on what might have occurred. Traditional military values of bravery, sacrifice, sense of duty, and camaraderie are stressed, and the action is usually described from the point of view of a soldier or officer. Typically, the technology employed is more advanced than present-day and described in detail. In some stories, however, technology is fairly static, and weapons that would be familiar to present-day soldiers are employed, but other aspects of society have changed.
more

Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language.... Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational argument. The word "philosophy" comes from the Greek φιλοσοφία , which literally means "love of wisdom". The introduction of the terms "philosopher" and "philosophy" has been ascribed to the Greek thinker Pythagoras. The ascription is said to be based on a passage in a lost work of Herakleides Pontikos, a disciple of Aristotle. It is considered to be part of the widespread body of legends of Pythagoras of this time. "Philosopher" was understood as a word which contrasted with "sophist" . Traveling sophists or "wise men" were important in Classical Greece, often earning money as teachers, whereas philosophers are "lovers of wisdom" and not professionals. The main areas of study in philosophy today include epistemology, logic, metaphysics, ethics and aesthetics.
more