The Butlerian Jihad, also referred to as the Great Revolt, was a massive crusade against computers, thinking machines, and conscious robots within the Dune universe. Beginning in 201 B.G. and concluding in 108 B.G., the conflict was sparked by the rise of a technocratic class that used machine-driven logic to control the common people. This led to a nigh-religious war where humanity sought to reclaim the 'thinking soul' of the species from what they perceived as the 'gods of machine logic.' The conflict was defined by a central religious precept: 'Man may not be replaced.'

The Jihad resulted in the complete destruction of all intelligent machines originally built by humans. This victory led to a profound technological reversal, where the most dramatic long-lasting consequence was a strict commandment from the Orange Catholic Bible: 'Thou shalt not make a machine in the likeness of a human mind.' This ban extended to even simple computers and calculators; owning or building such technology became a capital offense punishable by death. This prohibition created a significant gap in human capability, as complex logical computations and calculations had to be performed by humans. This vacuum led to the emergence of specialized human orders, such as the mentat order, the Bene Gesserit, and the Spacing Guild, who were trained to perform the functions previously handled by machines.

While thinking machines were banned, non-thinking mechanical devices remained in use. Over centuries, two fringe worlds—Ix and Tleilax—developed specialized technologies to fill the void left by the Jihad. The Ixians focused on non-thinking mechanical devices, while the Tleilaxians provided biological technology to replace the mechanical thinking functions lost during the revolt. Beyond the technological shift, the Jihad also reinforced a belief in the spiritual divinity of humankind in direct opposition to 'evil thinking machines.' This historical event fundamentally shaped the feudal-arranged galactic order of the Corrino Empire, establishing a universe where human consciousness is the ultimate arbiter of logic and evolution, free from deterministic machine influence. This setting serves as a literary device for Frank Herbert to explore social and philosophical issues, specifically the idea that relying on machines for thought limits human evolution by making human reasoning deterministic rather than 'open-ended.'