Brave New World Revisited

 In 1932, Aldous Huxley's most well known novel, Brave New World, depicted a dystopian future society that was controlled using sophisticated methods. 

At the end of the 1950's, Huxley revisited the topics that he had touched on in that novel with Brave New World Revisited. This work, rather than being a work of fiction, is an examination of Brave New World and essay on those issues that he had visited in that novel. From the very beginning, he argues that many of the predictions and prophecies he had made in his most famous work were uncomfortably closer than he imagined they would be so soon. And, with Huxley discussing topics such as overpopulation, drug use, and how ideas are sold to the masses, this work, like Brave New World, is very much still a relevant read. There is much in our world - the political landscape, advertising, social media - that you might be able to see in Huxley's predictions. He didn't get it exactly spot on but, in a world where many of us are slaves to algorithms and what's trending, he wasn't too far of the mark.

I don't know about you, but I see a lot of the Brave New World in us today - when I take to social media and I see people, with blinkers on, defending the political parties and/or figures that they have aligned themselves with, without criticism, I think of Brave New World. When I watch films like The Social Dilemma - detailing how we are manipulated by today's technology - I think of Brave New World. And, there is a discussion to be had about whether or not we have become too dependent on medication to fix our ills and woes - which, yeah, you guessed it, brings to mind elements of Brave New World for me.

Huxley once said, “Everyone who knows how to read has it in their power to magnify themselves, to multiply the ways in which they exist, to make their life full, significant, and interesting.” And, in my personal opinion, you get some of that from reading Huxley. This is my fourth post about a Huxley work, and I make no apologies for that. 

In twelve years, it will be one hundred years since Brave New World was published. Who knows where society will be there by then . . .

When discussing famous dystopian novels, people often contrast and compare Brave New World with Orwell's 1984, asking the question, which one are we more likely to be heading towards. Personally, I can see elements of both in our world. What about you? What do you think?

Links to other posts about Huxley works -

https://monstareader.blogspot.com/2021/02/mescaline-and-mysticism.html

https://monstareader.blogspot.com/2021/02/the-devils-of-loudon-by-aldous-huxley.html

https://monstareader.blogspot.com/2021/02/the-perennial-philosophy.html