Unorthodoxy threatens more than the life of a mere individual; it strikes at Society itself.

In Brave New World, Aldous Huxley presents a dystopian vision of the future in which society is completely controlled by technology and the state, and individuality is sacrificed in the name of social stability and efficiency. The story takes place in a world where people are genetically engineered and conditioned from birth to fulfill specific roles in society, and where pleasure and consumption are the highest ideals.

His novel explores themes of individual freedom, the dangers of technology and social engineering, and the nature of humanity itself. The society in Brave New World is based on the principles of Fordism, a term derived from the name of Henry Ford, the founder of Ford Motor Company, who pioneered mass production techniques in the early 20th century. In Huxley’s novel, the principles of Ford are applied to the creation of human beings, with each class designed to perform a specific function in the society’s industrial production.

The concept of parents have been replaced with an assembly line of embryos, typically 80 at a time, all identical to each other. The development of the population is optimized and controlled at every step - to the point that classes are developed amongst the society to fulfill different roles. Alphas are at the top ruling the society, whereas the Epsilons are designed to serve the menial labor at the bottom of the chain.

By genetically engineering and conditioning individuals for specific roles and streamlining everything from healthcare to entertainment, the society is able to minimize conflict, competition, and social unrest. The ruling class maintains control over the masses by controlling their behavior and limiting their intellectual capacities, to the point where “everyone belongs to each other” and are trapped in their constant chase for pleasure.

The book itself is rather short, but very intense throughout its narration. It hops between three protagonists as the story progresses, and at times is not easy to read. At one point, there are three conversations happening line by line without any indication. The dialogue between the characters feels so silly and unserious, yet show how society has conditioned them. Even though it was written almost 100 years ago, it still feels painfully relevant in the dopamine inducing world we live in.

Being a dystopian novel, it’s perfectly fair to compare this with 1984. While I was terrified of the concept of Big Brother in Orwell’s world, this future seems darker, because it shows that force does not need to be exerted to condition society. I will end this review with a paragraph from Neil Postman in Amusing Ourselves to Death that explains the difference between these two novels:

What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those who would deprive us information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism. Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance. Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture … As Huxley remarked in ‘Brave New World revisited,’ the civil libertarians and rationalists who are ever on the alert to oppose tyranny ‘failed to take into account man’s almost infinite appetite for distractions.’ … In short, Orwell feared that what we hate will ruin us. Huxley feared that what we love will ruin us.

Overall Rating: 8/10