Aldous Huxley

Aldous Leonard Huxley – July 26, 1894, family of distinguished intellectual elite.

Huxley’s “Utopia”: Brave New World (pub. 1932) - possesses a rigid class structure, biologically , chemically engineered and

psychologically conditioned. members of Brave New World's ruling class believe

it a duty to make everyone happy by denying love and freedom which seem to complicate relationships social order

Disturbing vision of a future society in which psychological conditioning forms the basis for a scientifically determined system immutable social order

O, wonder!How many goodly creatures are there here!How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world,That has such people in't!Shakespeare –The Tempest (V, i)

Brave New World A rigid class structure Separateness is only apparent in Brave New World

two characters of the elite class have difficulty because they are different from their peers

i.e. – Heritage, Tradition, Legacy make each individual unique – uniqueness of the individual is essential to freedom which is the quintessential expression of thought

Dystopian thought based on Fascist Italy: Mussolini: authoritarian government

fought against birth control in order to produce enough manpower for the next war – idea of Huxley's dystopia

critical of the Soviet Union – focus of this dystopia Huxley : “The future dictatorship of my imaginary world was a

good deal less brutal than the future dictatorship so brilliantly portrayed by Orwell.”

Brave New World A tale about a possible future world where human faith in scientific

progress, freedom, human dignity, and individuality are scrutinized The very essence of Utopia as a term is called into question Idea of the “World State” based on the new Industrial Scene :

consumerism and mass production as the illusory “promise” of equality ultimate goals are stability and happiness opposed to emotions, human

relations, and individual expression Numerous characters with contradictory functions no real hero – rather

an antagonist (John Savage) Outsider, providing aspects of thought to the Citizens of World State which have never been proposed before

thinking is painful

Main purposeContrary to the idea that happiness could be achieved through class-instituted slavery of even the most benevolent kindpsychological techniques

• Hypnopedia – sleep-teaching/ Moral education/ Class conditioningsociety determines all aspects of an individual's life conception and assembly line reproduction.

- government officials (state conditioned) decide place in social hierarchy

- Children are raised and conditioned by the state natural families are considered superfluous Citizens cannot marry or have childrengovernment tools that can abuse or deny people’s freedomInterested in mind-expanding drugs: Soma Escape Drugs: physically and socially harmless if used correctly but are also “somatic” pertaining to the body – addictive and potentially bring to long term dependence

Huxley was more influential with numerous other written works mostly essays, articles and accounts of his personal experience – life of the mentally instable, drug use, the visually impaired (he was blind most

of his life) … novels a strong underpinning moral, political premise Brave New World Revisited/Island (1962)