Aldous Huxley

The current society that we live in today is full of problems such as world hunger, (as mentioned by Aldous Huxley in the respect of possible shortages in food due to overpopulation), war, and pollution. Can these problems ever be fixed? Are Aldous Huxley’s claims and views just around the corner? I believe that these problems will and already have taken great toll on the world. Immense amounts of pollution are leading to the greenhouse effect. Polar ice caps are melting and certain species of animals are becoming extinct. Millions of people die each year die due to shortages of food as stated by Huxley. Can you remember the last time you saw one of those commercials where an older man is holding a malnourished child in another country whom then asks you to sponsor that child? I personally see these commercials every time I turn the television on. If these problems are not corrected fast I do believe that humanity could someday evolve into a totalitarian world full of problems such as starvation and mind control.

In class video (aldous Huxley)

This interview was taped at the height of the Cold War and which Huxley saw as an increasing time of tension in the world which could ultimately arise in global problems such as totalitarian control. To be more exact, Huxley saw overpopulation as a disaster that was lurking just around the corner. Huxley argued that increasing populations would place extra pressure on existing resources such as coal and agricultural necessities like food. In his interview Wallace asks “Well, what are these forces and these devices, Mr. Huxley?” Huxley replies “I should say that there are two main impersonal forces… This is the force which in general terms can be called overpopulation, the mounting pressure of population pressing upon existing resources.” Huxley then says “let's just take a simple fact that between the time of birth of Christ and the landing of the May Flower, the population of the earth doubled. It rose from two hundred and fifty million to probably five hundred million.” Mike Wallace then asks “Well, why should overpopulation work to diminish our freedoms?” Huxley basically responds by saying that people in the world have less to eat and less goods per capita than they had fifty years ago due to the problem of overpopulation. This correlates with what was said above regarding that growing populations would place pressure on existing resources.

Brave New World (Qoute)

The quote below stood out to me. I feel like this quote is in a way "drama". When i read this quote it just reminds me of all of the people that are in relationships in the world and all of the drama that seems to be associated with them.

"But it's absurd to let yourself get into a state ... like this. Simply absurd," she repeated. "And what about? A man – one man."
"But he's the one I want."
"As though there weren't millions of other men in the world."
"But I don't want them."
"How can you know till you've tried?"
"I have tried."


This quote makes it sound like Lenina's desire for John is a simple case of wanting what you can't have. If she really loved him, she probably wouldn't be sleeping with "dozens" of other men like she does. Knowing how Lenina is throughout the book you could also suggest that she sleeps around with so many guys because it is her way of dealing with emotion.

A Brave New World

Incredible to think this science-fiction book by Huxley was first published in 1932. It seems like such a long time ago but yet still prevails in today's society as a "good read". A Brave New World portrays a future where happiness is the universal goal of human society. Total happiness is achieved by the removal of art, science, and religion, and maintained by technology, conditioning, sex, and drugs. The novel gets emotional when a 'savage' raised at a primitive reservation in the desert Southwest enters the civilized world. The contrasts of the two worlds become apparent following the adventures of the savage in his new environment.

My favorite character so far i would have to say would be Mustapha Mond, the World Controller for Western Europe, as I loved the Inner Party member O'Brien in Nineteen Eighty-Four. These patriarchal characters, who have given up their own convictions, hope and happiness for the sake of society are the best plotted.
It is not difficult to see the society of Brave New World coming to pass. Biological engineering and social instruction, to some extent, are increasingly affecting everyday life. We must all ask ourselves, will we seek progress and consumption for their own sake? How do we maintain our humanity in an increasingly networked world?