Eugenics

When I began reading Brave New World, I couldn't help but notice that the way the workers in the factory treat the humans being produced is the same way they treat animals. I don't mean that they look down on them or anything like that, but I mean that it seems very similar to selective breeding. The rulers of their society try to endow humans from certain castes with appealing attributes, however, they also try to stunt the development of lower castes as well. In selective breeding, the whole purpose is to improve the qualities of a group to make them more productive. In Brave New World, though, the purpose is to create a hierarchy system that allows their society to function. There is a difference between the two though. During selective breeding, the way that the animals (or humans) attain their favorable attributes is by breeding two animals (or humans) with traits that would be useful. They use genetics to try and produce a productive animal (or human) In Brave New World, though, the different castes are the way they are because of their environment and the different things they are exposed to. For example Epsilons have alcohol put into their bloodstream therefore making them disfigured. The point of selective breeding in the book is to keep a stratified society, therefore creating a society that functions.