The power of tradition in Dune

I hinted at this in some of my earlier posts. I think the "leading/power through tradition" point that Weber brings up is perhaps the most applicable one to the case of Dune. The economics of survival in Fremen society have forced a very strict adherence to certain rituals -- both of day to day goings-on and of the more religious kind. Fremen society seems to be almost fundamentally based on the repetition of these rituals, seemingly as a means to pound it into the heads of all Fremens how precious their lives (and their water) really are, the importance of thrift and diligence, etc. Necessity is -- I feel almost without argument -- the single most powerful factor in the formation of societies, of beliefs, of rituals, etc. The survival instinct, our strongest instinct of all, is fundamentally honed in to necessity, and expresses this as often as possible.

Paul's legitimacy as a leader of the Fremen people is then an extension of this spirit. The rituals of supremacy, or whatever you want to call them, have clearly developed historically in a way to weed out the strongest and the smartest -- a tried and true way to assure that the race will be led as effectively as possible, in a way that best utilizes precious resources, both human and liquid.