The Coming ‘Brave New World’
I’ve recently wanted to write something about the significance of the book ‘Brave New World,’ one of the most prophetic books of the twentieth century. However, when I read this short essay from Yuval Noah Harari in ‘Tribe of Mentors’ (pp. 555-556), I knew that he could say this far better than I. The following excerpt is used with Dr. Harari’s permission.
“Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. I think it is the most prophetic book of the 20th century, and the most profound discussion of happiness in modern Western philosophy. It had a deep impact on my thinking about politics and happiness. And since, for me, the relationship between power and happiness is the most important question in history, Brave New World has also reshaped my understanding of history.
“Huxley wrote the book in 1931, with Communism and Fascism entrenched in Russia and Italy, Nazism on the rise in Germany, militaristic Japan embarking on its war of conquest in China, and the entire world gripped by the Great Depression. Yet Huxley managed to see through all these dark clouds and envision a future society without wars, famines, and plagues, enjoying uninterrupted peace, abundance, and health. It is a consumerist world, which gives completely free reign to sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll, and whose supreme value is happiness. It uses advanced biotechnology and social engineering to make sure that everyone is always content and no one has any reason to rebel. There is no need of secret police, concentration camps, or a Ministry of Love a la Orwell’s 1984. Indeed, Huxley’s genius consists in showing that you could control people far more securely through love and pleasure than through violence and fear.
“When people read George Orwell’s 1984, it is clear that he is describing a frightening nightmare world, and the only question left open is “How do we avoid reaching such a terrible state?” Reading Brave New World is a far more disconcerting experience, because it is obvious that there must be something dreadfully wrong, but you are hard pressed to put your finger on it. The world is peaceful and prosperous, and everyone is supremely satisfied all the time. What could possibly be wrong with that?
“The truly amazing thing is that when Huxley wrote Brave New World back in 1931, both he and his readers knew perfectly well that he was describing a dangerous dystopia. Yet many readers today might easily mistake it for a utopia. Our consumerist society is actually geared to realize Huxley’s vision. Today, happiness has become the supreme value, and we increasingly use biotechnology and social engineering to ensure maximum satisfaction to all citizen-customers. You want to know what could be wrong with that? Read the dialogue between Mustapha Mond, the World Controller for Western Europe, and John the Savage, who lived all his life on a native reservation in New Mexico, and who is the only man in London who still knows anything about Shakespeare or God.”
Yuval Noah Harari is a historian, philosopher, and bestselling author of multiple books (including ‘Sapiens,’ ‘Homo Deus,’ and ’21 Lessons for the 21st Century’). He received his PhD from Oxford and currently lectures at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
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