Cool Visions of the Future: Brave New World

It would be a disservice to science fiction if I failed to mention Brave New World  when discussing cool visions of the future and how they reflect on our society. Written in 1931 by Aldous Huxley, Brave New World is the foundation of many science fiction concepts what would be repeated in later works imagining what may come.

Approximately 500 years from now the structure of the world has developed into a World State.  People are divided into different casts genetically, mentally, and chemically engineered from before birth to fill certain roles in society. Alphas rule, Epsilons serve the most menial jobs, with Betas Gammas and Deltas filling all roles in between. The majority of the population consists of lower casts who’s intelligence and development have been arrested rendering them easy to control.  Each cast is programmed to be entirely happy in their role in society. No one is born any longer but grown in tubes, on an assembly line.

Organized religion has been abolished, and in its place consumerism, recreation sex, and drug use have been ritualized. The world’s command economy is manipulated to function perpetually with by programing from childhood “ending is better than mending” into the people. There is always demand, therefor there is always work. Sex is considered a public activity, with the populous regularly engaging in orgies, or casual partners. Everyone belongs to everyone else is the credo of society. Soma, a hangover free, perfect hallucinogen, is distributed by the state. All media, art, and recreation are designed to titillate, and pacify the people. Characters chew sex hormone chewing gum, and watch feely movies that allow  the viewers to experience the tactile sensations of the actors. The population of the brave new world lives through a series of cause and effect reactions. Most people are too placated by the free drugs, sex, and diversions to question their role or existence.

This world isn’t a bad place to live. There is no war, poverty, disease or even pain. Pleasure and peace have moved into their place. That being said, Brave New World is one of the most disturbing visions of the future I could imagine. The human spirit is a shadow of it’s former self. There is no ambition, or drive for greater things. Any individual questioning their role in the world, or wanting to give their life some meaning would be misunderstood and ostracized. Huxley originally wrote this novel as a social satire, wishing to depict a frightening view of the ‘perfect world’ proposed by optimistic futurists. Huxley didn’t fear a world where, the government would oppress us, and censor free expression. He feared a world where they wouldn’t need to.

Coming from someone who mainly blogs about pop culture nonsense, and risking sounding hypocritical our society has moved towards this. Though we don’t have feely movies, our technology allows consume any form of media anywhere we want, any time we want. Twitter, Youtube, Facebook, Myspace ect. flood the interwebs and the collective conscious with a cacophony of nonsense. Though we don’t have ritualized, drug fueled, public sex orgies, sexuality is much more open today. (If we do maybe, I’m not getting invited to the right parties) Pornography has obtained a measure of legitimacy, and various forms of contraception make sex less risky and more common place. How often are people driven to buy the latest shiny new toy just because its new. When seeing people on line for the new iPhones, I can’t help but think “ending is better than mending”. None of these are bad things in and of themselves but they are diversions. Like any diversions they have to potential to distract us from important aspects of life. Were they to ever become so prominent that people no longer paid attention to the world as a whole, society may be in jeopardy.

I would rank Brave New World as one of the most import works of science fiction in history. I strongly encourage everyone to read it. It makes a societal statement, and is the originator of many later cool visions of the future.

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