Brave New World: Is happiness enough?

This small and eye-catching "Brave New World" was encountered in Sanyu a few days ago. I have long admired the name of this book and know that it is one of the three major dystopian novels in the world alongside "Nineteen Eighty-Four" and "We". I have read the other two books, so I bought them to read them out of a treasure collection mentality.

The feeling of this book is very different from the other two. The atmosphere of "Nineteen Eighty-Four" and "Us" is extremely chilling, but "Brave New World" is actually full of joy at first glance. In terms of tone, "1984" gives me a reddish-brown sandy feeling, "Us" is pure pink and white, and "Brave New World" is colorful and hilarious.

Here are some of my thoughts on this book.

【Completely preventable and controllable world】

This book takes readers into a new world of strict hierarchy and order. As the opening shield motto states:

group, identity, stability

Three words set the tone for the book's worldview.

People here are divided into "alpha (α)", "beta (β)", "gamma (γ)", "delta (δ)", "epsilon (ε)" from top to bottom at birth )" five classes.

At first glance a little Indian caste taste, but much higher end.

The birth of human beings has been completely produced in this era. The fertilized embryos will be put into bottles to start the journey of growth. Everything in the process is strictly controlled by calculation. Different classes will have different "recipes" to make people's body There is an absolute difference in psychology, and when the bottle is finally born, it completely identifies with the subordinate class from the heart.

And the restriction still persists after birth, such as the cool and cruel book and loud noise, flower and electric shock combined punches, which directly create a huge psychological shadow area. Through these methods, people's likes and dislikes are precisely aligned.

Even more powerful is the sleep learning method, which directly forges thoughts from the subconscious:

The Alpha Kid wears grey. They work so much harder than us because they are terribly smart. It's really nice that I can be a beta because I don't have to work that hard. And we are so much better than Gamma and Delta. Gamma is stupid...

That is to say, everything in this society is predestined, each class is of the same quality, each performs its own duties, and everything is predictable and controllable, and there will be no accidents.

This narrative might seem like a closed and lifeless world, but like I said at the beginning, it's pretty bright and psychedelic in tone. Let's move on to the book's "entertainment" to death concept.

【Entertainment to death】

At first glance, the world looks rigid and boring, but on the surface it's actually quite glorious. Alpha living in the highest class is extremely convenient, and all living needs are perfectly met.

For example, when they take a bath, they point the nozzle directly at the body, and a burst of warm air will spread the best talcum powder on the body, and then as long as they enter the vibrating vacuum machine, they can perfectly wash the body.

And any nutrients and medicines needed for life have been thoroughly studied, and people rarely get sick. In addition, the body's endocrine system has been maintained in a young state, so people here will not be old. As Savage John saw in the hospital, all the dying men in their sixties had the appearance of girls.

In addition, the world's view of sex is extremely free. Because everyone reproduces asexually, parenthood, marriage, and monogamy are all shockingly old-fashioned concepts. People here are switching partners all the time, and hybrid group sex is the norm.

gangcross, ford blessing,
Kiss the girls and make them one.
Boys and girls are peaceful together;
Group interbreeding is a relief.

In addition, they have a lot of entertainment, and it can even be said to be too "wonderful". For example, the "feeling movie" can be said to perfectly push people's five senses to the extreme:

Full singing, synthetic dialogue, color, three-dimensional tactile film. The aroma organ is accompanied synchronously throughout.

Everything is fine, but what if something doesn't work out? Don't worry, there's one last big move: Soma. It's a light instant drug that lets you forget about the past and the future, and become immersed in the present.

The past and the future make me miserable, only the present is left after eating a gram.

There is no trouble in this world that a gram of soma can't solve, if there is one, then eat another gram.

You might say this is for the highest class to enjoy, other classes are not. But the great thing about this system is that it makes every class happy and content, shaped by minds that are tightly controlled from birth. As Henry said to Lenina: "If you are Epsilon, you are conditioned to be glad that you are not beta or alpha."

In short, it is a world without suffering. When I saw this, I couldn't help but think, isn't this an alternative solution that Buddhists seek to liberate from suffering? The Buddha told us that we can get rid of suffering through the "Four Holy Traditions" . From the perspective of consequentialism, this world's method seems to be feasible?

【There is no price of suffering】

But such a beautiful world comes at a price.

First of all, this is a world where there are no individuals, only groups, even the Alphas of the highest order. Everything (presumably except sex) is to be soaked in the crowd, there is no room for privacy. As the "First Hymn of Unity" sings:

There are twelve of us, Ford; oh, let us be one,
like drops in the social river;
Oh, let's run as fast as a shiny T.

Living in a world where it is normal to spend time eating dinner at the Oxford University Debating Club and playing electronic obstacle course. But it would be strange if, like Bernard, he wanted to spend his time walking and chatting by the lake with the people he loved. Reading and writing articles by myself like me is naturally not a stream.

everyone belongs to each other

A more extreme disappearance of individuality is manifested in the lower classes. Ninety-six identical multiples can be created by the so-called Bokalowski process. Creates standard gamma, indifference delta, unanimous epsilon. Create a standardized society with standardized life.

And a standardized society doesn't need room for innovation, such as art. The controller's final argument with John was terrific. Although Savage insisted that Othello feels better than movies, it was dismissed lightly:

Of course it's better, but that's the price we have to pay for stability.

This world cares about extreme entertainment and production, and suddenly I feel that the sense of sight is very strong. Looking at now, almost all eye-catching content must be closer to entertainment or utility .

Our library only accepts reference books. If our young people want to be entertained and entertained, they can be satisfied by touching movies.

In addition, scientific inquiry can only be limited for the sake of stability. A happy world does not require the pursuit of truth.

Universal happiness keeps the wheel turning steadily; truth and beauty cannot.

In other words, this is a world of mindless production and indulgent entertainment. But is such a world bad?

【Postscript: what people want】

In the process of reading, what I have been thinking about is, what exactly is a person, and even the whole society, pursuing?

The characters in the book made different choices. The controller chose to join the camp of happiness and stability. Helmholtz decided to go to the Falk Islands to find himself. Savage said more sonorously:

I don't want to be comfortable. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want virtue, I want sin.

As far as I'm concerned, I don't even aspire to Alpha's life, let alone the other classes. But is it possible that, to a certain extent, I am also conditioned by a certain kind of life, so I cannot like that kind of life?

After thinking about it, my dissatisfaction with the world in the book may be that it seems to be frozen and still. People live happily and colorfully, but they are busy and repeating. What's even worse is that everyone is the same, in short, a little less "human".

I think the precious and lovely thing about human nature is that we are so similar and yet so different. Even if everyone is more or less constrained by genes and growth environment, they still have great flexibility. Unique and constantly adaptable.

So we struggle, collide, conflict with each other, and suffer alone. The world looks chaotic, but it is full of tension and vitality, and everyone can have different pursuits. Wouldn't it be too boring if people around me always nodded yes to something I said today?

Finally, I would like to praise this book "Brave New World" published by comma. The cover is eye-catching, the size fits together, the translation is smooth, and the illustrations are funny and accurate. A great book to read. Recommend everyone to buy and collect.

The world in the book is detached but still alive, and I often feel psychologically itchy when reading, and I need to stop and ponder over and over again. I can't help but feel a bit masochistic, but maybe this is the joy of being born as a "human"!

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