In the book Brave New World, the author Aldous Huxley conjures a world in which society is controlled through technology and science promoting order and stability while forfeiting liberty. After reading this book it fills sadness because of the similarities it shares with our world. The world we live in grows increasingly similar with new technology and social changes. Huxley’s fictional society has several differences than our own, but similarities can be portrayed.
A major feature in Huxley’s society is the technology used to control freedom and induce happiness. This is similar to our worlds technology constantly showering us with unreliable propaganda leading to expanded consumerism and desire. I can relate to this through social media. It takes my time away from being productive and motivates me to keep up with trends that do not benefit my well being. However, in Huxley’s world these traits are taught at birth through conditioning. For example, hypnopaedia and soma are designed to create contentment for the people.
Huxley’s world also shares similar values to ours by promoting economic growth and productivity over the well being of most of society. In our world, countries want people to work extra long hours for low wages, furthering their economy. Careers are prioritized over personal lives. My parents experienced this when I was younger. Living in Vancouver my parents worked until 7pm every night while I would be stuck in day care without them. Once we moved to Victoria they were able to find different jobs resulting in a more balanced and happy life. Instead of individuals working this hard for so little, without enjoying it, in Huxley’s society each person is designed to fill their role and value conventionality and stability naturally.
To conclude, our world shares some similarities to the one described by Huxley, although society is not as advanced and controlled. Technology is speeding up at a rapid pace, to the point that we could be controlled by it further. In the future we need to be careful and not let technology take away from our freedom.