Is the Current Social Imagination prepared for a Brave New World?

Aldous Huxley was born in England and graduated from Balliol College, Oxford. Such a fortunate opportunity was his as he came from money; and, perhaps that is why he considered himself to be a humanist and pacifist. Out of that, he grew interested in philosophical mysticism and universalism. In his most famous novel Brave New World (1932) and his final novel Island (1962), he presented his vision of dystopia and utopia, respectively.

In an article published online [see source below], Brave New World is set in the future of our own world, in the year 2450 A.D. The planet is united politically as the “World State.” The Controllers who govern the World State have maximized human happiness by using advanced technology to shape and control society. People are grown in bottles and brainwashed in their sleep during childhood. As a result, the citizens of the World State are physically and psychologically conditioned to be happy with their place in society and the work they are assigned.

Every citizen belongs to a “caste,” ranging from highly intelligent and physically strong Alphas to Epsilon “semi-morons.” Lower-caste people are produced in batches of more than a hundred identical twins, and live their whole lives alongside their duplicates. All citizens have instant access to pleasures of all kinds. They are conditioned and socially encouraged to be sexually promiscuous.

“Synthetic music” and “the feelies”—movies with physical sensation as well as pictures and sound— provide immersive sensory experiences. Whenever citizens do experience an unpleasant feeling, they are encouraged to take soma, a drug which provides a “holiday” from negative emotion.

Most of the novel’s events take place in England. Huxley uses familiar English landmarks to help his readers decode the future he has imagined. Charing Cross Station in London has become the “Charing T Tower,” because Christian crosses have been replaced by the “T” of Ford’s Model T car, while train stations have been replaced by towers which launch intercontinental rockets.

The novel’s other major location is the “Savage Reservation” in New Mexico. The Savage Reservation is an area where the technologies of the World State have not been introduced. The “savages” still give birth, believe in gods and endure physical pain and emotional suffering. The people and customs of the Savage Reservation are modeled loosely on the traditions of Zuñi Native Americans. The setting of the Reservation allows the novel to contrast all historical societies— from the Neolithic era to Huxley’s own— with the society of the World State.

Isn't that interesting? It certainly is and more so coming from the social imagination of a man (author of Brave New World) who lived quite well when compared to others of his time period. One might speculate that from loftier social positions in the wider social imagination, disgust with society at large is built in from the beginning.  And, thus one could be so motivated to re-imagine the social imagination, write a novel and call it ~ Brave New World.

Certainly, an intelligent, curious person would/should ask what would be the most dreadful event that could usher in a brave new world and who would benefit? Perhaps, it could be a nuclear exchange between super powers or a devastating world wide economic collapse, a global pandemic or an alien arrival? And who would benefit? Well, it would not be the lower caste or the 'savages'... would it?



ONLINE SOURCE ~  https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/bravenew/setting/ and https://www.britannica.com/topic/Brave-New-World

*For interesting reading ~ https://www.andrewleunginternationalconsultants.com/new/2020/03/the-coronavirus-could-reshape-global-order.html