As I read the posts on this blog, I realize that we are under the impression that it will take a while for us to reach the state of Brave New World. However, the distance to the World State is far from huge. Huxley's technological insights are not extremely advanced.
Forms of transportation, for example, are reasonably kept in the era. This world is occupied by helicopters, planes, and cars.
"Soma" could take the form of antidepressants, Ecstasy, or crystal meth.
Though sex isn't really thrown around in our world, Huxley's "hug you till you drug me" slogans are prevalent in today's pop music.
The "Malthusian belts" prevent pregnancy, and we have plenty of contraceptives to back it up.
Test tube babies are not totally far off. Technology exists to make this possible. Scientists are constantly experimenting with cloning and genetically modifying humans.
It really shocks me reading Brave New World. What makes him a good writer is that he can thinly disguise existing technology to make is sound surreal, when in reality it is all within our grasp. I think the only thing in the path of the World State is for the ingredients to come together.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
(Kevin...you are such an intellectual. In a very good way. J) But in response to Kevin's post I agree with him in addition to being a little frightened about how the world will evolve to meet the never ending supply of needs of the human race. I agree because I thought may of the technology in the book are things we have now just "disguised" as something so bizarre. understandability some things in this book are strange in how they are done but technological advances are made every day but mainly to help people...not to help imprison people. Yes i think the society that Huxley has created is a prison that the people within this society don't realize they are in. But getting back to the subject at hand, things like making children in specialized bottles and predestined work for predestined jobs are happening all the time.
ReplyDelete"things like making children in specialized bottles and predestined work for predestined jobs are happening all the time."
ReplyDeleteReally? Where? Can you give an example?
Raul G, you've never heard of test tube babies? You have never heard of manipulation from birth? You are too literal Raul, just think figurative 50 percent of the time and you'll go far.
ReplyDeleteKevin, you impress me with your blog posts all the time. I think you are right. Sex isn't thrown around with our world, but in their world I figure there is no such thing as rape, although in the feely John and Lenina went to see was a black man raping a white woman.
And Raul, I didn't mean to sound insulting and, or offensive. It's hard to interpret meaning over the internet. So I apologize ahead of time if you blow your lid about what I said.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Amber and Breahna. I think Raul meant that this sort of thing isn't all that widespread...yet.
ReplyDeleteTo Amber, I guess the magic of the world is that nobody knows there even is a prison to begin with. People in that society are basically slaves to the technology they adore.
To Breahna, I thought it was funny about that feely. Just kind of ironic that John the Savage would compare the play Othello (with a black man married to a white woman, and then is tricked to killing her) to the feely. Guess Huxley tried to compare similar ideas, but to show which society had the lack of art.
I couldn't agree more with you kevin. I am almost concidered a test tube baby. My parents did some special operation (abreviated as G.I.F.T)becasue they couldn't have kids. So testube babies are more often than many would think.
ReplyDeleteI know about test tubes babies, it helps with infertility. But I didn't know they were used for what Amber said. For Predestined work and predestined jobs. This sounds like something the UN would prevent from happening.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Breahna, I wasn't trying to sound sarcastic, if that's what you perceived. Like you said, it's hard interpret the meaning over the Internet. I was genuinely surprised at what Amber said.
ReplyDelete