Brave New World
I can't believe it took me this long to read Brave New World. I have heard the phrase used so many times before in various contexts and have been curious about the source, but never got around to picking it up.
The book speaks of a world in which people are seemingly extremely happy, only needing to increase their doses of 'soma' (a happy drug) in order to make things all better. Babies are born in laboratories. Some are given a helping hand in order to create the more superior races, and some are deliberately stunted (through lack of oxygen or the addition of alcohol) to maintain huge numbers of low level humans, who necessarily perform the mundane tasks in society. Sex is encouraged, not for procreation purposes, but for pleasure and social harmony. There is no violence, no avarice or greed. Everyone knows their place and sticks to it. However, there are people who are unsatisfied. Bernard Marx, one of the upper echelon feels that not all is right, that something is missing. It is his pursuits of 'something else' that brings to light a world that is very different, a more primitive world....or is it?
This is a scary book because this future seems perfect. Perfectly creepy. You imagine everyone walking around with a dumb smile on their face, doped up to the eyeballs with happy pills, relentlessly pursuing their pre-programmed roles in society. The idea of mass producing humans is quite abhorent, the individual is nothing in this place...unless you are chosen to lead rather than follow.
The confrontation with another world in the second half of the book explores two ideas of life. The first world is programmed to be perfect, a world where nobody endures hardship....but where ignorance is the status quo. The second, makes clear the notion of the individual earning their place in society, of having to sacrifice, of having to suffer in order to fully appreciate their existence.
The idea of Eugenics was quite popular in the 1930's when this book was published, and Huxley does not appear to be opposed to the ideals behind it. However, after World War II and the Nazi plans which reflected this ideal, it's popularity was obviously diminished. It is interesting to think of the leaps and bounds science is making in genetic engineering will continue to bring up ethical questions like those one is faced with after reading this book.
What kind of world do we want? A peaceful and stable world where most of the people are content most of the time because they are programmed to be? An interesting question.
The book speaks of a world in which people are seemingly extremely happy, only needing to increase their doses of 'soma' (a happy drug) in order to make things all better. Babies are born in laboratories. Some are given a helping hand in order to create the more superior races, and some are deliberately stunted (through lack of oxygen or the addition of alcohol) to maintain huge numbers of low level humans, who necessarily perform the mundane tasks in society. Sex is encouraged, not for procreation purposes, but for pleasure and social harmony. There is no violence, no avarice or greed. Everyone knows their place and sticks to it. However, there are people who are unsatisfied. Bernard Marx, one of the upper echelon feels that not all is right, that something is missing. It is his pursuits of 'something else' that brings to light a world that is very different, a more primitive world....or is it?
This is a scary book because this future seems perfect. Perfectly creepy. You imagine everyone walking around with a dumb smile on their face, doped up to the eyeballs with happy pills, relentlessly pursuing their pre-programmed roles in society. The idea of mass producing humans is quite abhorent, the individual is nothing in this place...unless you are chosen to lead rather than follow.
The confrontation with another world in the second half of the book explores two ideas of life. The first world is programmed to be perfect, a world where nobody endures hardship....but where ignorance is the status quo. The second, makes clear the notion of the individual earning their place in society, of having to sacrifice, of having to suffer in order to fully appreciate their existence.
The idea of Eugenics was quite popular in the 1930's when this book was published, and Huxley does not appear to be opposed to the ideals behind it. However, after World War II and the Nazi plans which reflected this ideal, it's popularity was obviously diminished. It is interesting to think of the leaps and bounds science is making in genetic engineering will continue to bring up ethical questions like those one is faced with after reading this book.
What kind of world do we want? A peaceful and stable world where most of the people are content most of the time because they are programmed to be? An interesting question.
posted by AIW at 4:28 pm
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