Brave New World

First published in 1932, Brave New World still feels modern today. This might have less to do with the thematic structure of the book and the writing style of Aldous Huxley, and more to do with the fact that much modern day genetic science is based on latter day eugenics. The idea of controlling the human population in terms of genetic development in order to bring humanity to its maximum...more

First published in 1932, Brave New World still feels modern today. This might have less to do with the thematic structure of the book and the writing style of Aldous Huxley, and more to do with the fact that much modern day genetic science is based on latter day eugenics. The idea of controlling the human population in terms of genetic development in order to bring humanity to its maximum effiency was a popular American ideal all throughout the early to mid 1900's (indeed, eugenics was a throroughly American science before the Nazis even got started), so it comes as no surrpise that the religious iconography in Brave New World is centered on Ford's Model T, or that the setting of the book was based on Huxley's trip to California. Huxley relies on a few implicit biases that don't sit well with me. For instance, the "species" differences between the human races (look out for the Jezebel's "negro" fecundity referred to as a boon for eugenics). I also noted the conflation of deviance with moral character (too weak to fit in, too strong to be controlled) - individual relativity in desire do not exist in Brave New World. Any form of human pleasure or desire, from the physical to the emotional, are taken as absolutes that can be distilled down into formula - either easy open access physical pleasure or Christ-like matyrdom for true emotional experience. People who defy these absolutes are just to weak to appreciate them. Overall, I enjoyed the book for its moral ambiguity, and the archetypal natures of the characters. It's a lot to think about.   hide

I really was left unaffected by this book. I plowed through it, waiting for it to take off, which it never did for me. The characters hit me as flat, which I suppose is the point, but it really prevented me from caring at all about what I was reading. I was quite disappointed to be left feeling this way. And I don't recall having learned anything new either. Too bad. I completely agree with...more

I really was left unaffected by this book. I plowed through it, waiting for it to take off, which it never did for me. The characters hit me as flat, which I suppose is the point, but it really prevented me from caring at all about what I was reading. I was quite disappointed to be left feeling this way. And I don't recall having learned anything new either. Too bad. I completely agree with Jared. I was expecting something fiery and captivating...the society described and the detail and depth into which Huxley delves is magnificent and brings real life to the book, but the lack of character development really just sucked my passion for the plot away. Huxley was apparently strung out of opiates while he feverishly wrote the novel over the course of a few short nights--it really shows. It's still wicked, though.   hide

One of my favorite books ever, especially one certain diolouge between the savage and the "world controller". It makes me laugh how quickly we do move in the direction of his "negative-utopia". Whether we ever actually reach that point or not is not for me to predict. But I believe that Huxly's revelation on our obsession with pleasure becomes more convincing (or...more

One of my favorite books ever, especially one certain diolouge between the savage and the "world controller". It makes me laugh how quickly we do move in the direction of his "negative-utopia". Whether we ever actually reach that point or not is not for me to predict. But I believe that Huxly's revelation on our obsession with pleasure becomes more convincing (or at least applicable) with every day that passes. Inevitably this book will be compared with George Orwell's "1984", and although both books hold very contrasting views as to what this future looks like (one, run by a supressive regime, the other populated by blissfully submisive people leading lives of luxary) it can still be agreed upon that both books at their very essence hold the same core truth: we better be cautious of what we are becoming. A 5 star MUST read.   hide

Jung (Beginner's Guides) [Illustrated] (Paperback) by Ruth Berry (Author) Product Description Product Description This beginner's guide to Jung provides the essential facts and concepts behind the "father of analytical psychology" and his work. It examines Jung's background, the times he lived in and the development of Jungian analysis, and key concepts and ideas are highlighted and clearly...more

Jung (Beginner's Guides) [Illustrated] (Paperback) by Ruth Berry (Author) Product Description Product Description This beginner's guide to Jung provides the essential facts and concepts behind the "father of analytical psychology" and his work. It examines Jung's background, the times he lived in and the development of Jungian analysis, and key concepts and ideas are highlighted and clearly explained. Very good print, has side bars with clearly expained jargon and Jung's ideas. A visionary. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jung-Beginners-Guides-Ruth-Berry/dp/034078055X/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262694227&sr=1-6   hide

Yeups! Whata Breton´s sponsor about surhyper society was to street route, nowdays Brave Soma New World is living spiritualy in our veins. PC (Morgesten-Von Newman)never guess that they were building droids, Robots and Cyborgs. Colegues, of all that masterful outstanding past prospectus of nowdays Replicants reality we only have Hyper Super Thecknocracy to not be scared though figure wath we...more

Yeups! Whata Breton´s sponsor about surhyper society was to street route, nowdays Brave Soma New World is living spiritualy in our veins. PC (Morgesten-Von Newman)never guess that they were building droids, Robots and Cyborgs. Colegues, of all that masterful outstanding past prospectus of nowdays Replicants reality we only have Hyper Super Thecknocracy to not be scared though figure wath we hated in the past about Einstein´s mistake, jeys! The system will never end up. We are by sample simplicity alpha betha gamma fraternity, but only the readers. Probably it sound morality awkard but ethics will never be the solution. We travel on speed light with match just in time agenda to our conflictive ego homo. I did had a child in honour to Tim Leary, A. Hoffman, Paul Bowles and of course to remember those insightful spirit of originality to provide outreach to Huxley´s spirit, Sir Dr Who is alive, but Groucho Marx wd say that he is the only and single married artist of contemporaneous art to commitment with suicide by no fears of pain!   hide

A great book, though not as prophetic as 1984. I don't think it is as dystopian as people make it. Being in constant pleasure is not a terrifying proposition. I actually think it might be better than the world we are living in now. It's what the hippies wanted. This is the hippies' utopia! Free love and being high all the time! There is a definite parallel between soma and what the...more

A great book, though not as prophetic as 1984. I don't think it is as dystopian as people make it. Being in constant pleasure is not a terrifying proposition. I actually think it might be better than the world we are living in now. It's what the hippies wanted. This is the hippies' utopia! Free love and being high all the time! There is a definite parallel between soma and what the pharmaceutical companies have been pushing on the general public. We are already enslaving children with ADD medications. Got anxiety? Try this. Got Depression? Try this. Got incontinence and bloody stools? Try this. Got impotence? Try this. Got trouble sleeping? Try this. Sleep too much? Try this. Want to quit smoking? Try this. Got gender identity problems? Try this. Turned on by armpit hair and bagpiping? Try this. Want to be a whale in your next life? Try this. Remember, side effects may include anxiety, depression, incontinence and bloody stools, impotence, trouble sleeping, sleeping to much, starting smoking, gender identity problems, an attraction to armpit hair with a desire to bagpipe, and becoming a whale in your next life.   hide

If you like strange and out of this world settings you'll like this. It's a look at our world in the future. A world where the people are programmed from conception (within a bottle)through out childhood and into adulthood to be a part of a whole not an individual. The conditioning teaches mankind to: accept themselves as a whole unit without any individual thought; sex is freely...more

If you like strange and out of this world settings you'll like this. It's a look at our world in the future. A world where the people are programmed from conception (within a bottle)through out childhood and into adulthood to be a part of a whole not an individual. The conditioning teaches mankind to: accept themselves as a whole unit without any individual thought; sex is freely shared as marriage/partnership no longer exists; human birth is replaced by test tube babies; inquisitiveness is suppressed; etc... A "savage" enters the narrative who questions the rules and ideas of this society. He can not find happiness in this world where passions have been irradiated so as to promote a happiness found in the average. Not surprisingly it ends in death. I couldn't put it down. But than I like off the wall stuff that makes me think. My only issue is that the savage was presented as a Shakespearean master though he had no training, but only access to numerous Shakespearean plays.   hide

the idea behind this novel is such a great one - really one of the best sci-fi ideas i know of - that it really depresses me that huxley made a novel out of it. being a sci-fi fan and having heard so much praise over this novel, it made me disappointed reading it, to say the least. the characters are flat and uninteresting with few exceptions, and the plot is awful! the only thing next to the...more

the idea behind this novel is such a great one - really one of the best sci-fi ideas i know of - that it really depresses me that huxley made a novel out of it. being a sci-fi fan and having heard so much praise over this novel, it made me disappointed reading it, to say the least. the characters are flat and uninteresting with few exceptions, and the plot is awful! the only thing next to the idea - that is the society he creates and what it stands for - that i like is the conversations that some of the characters have about that society. stereotypically, only the male characters have those conversations. but then huxley is not the first, nor the last sci-fi author to create great new societies and conditions for humans and others but totally look pass gender injustices. in my opinion, huxley should have taken his great idea and made it something other than a novel, or he should have asked someone else, who could actually write novels, to help him write the characters. i'm sorry to be hard on a classic, but there it is.   hide

Reading any book of Huxley, one caanot fail to feel the encounter of one of the greatest minds ever existed, the man is simply a genius, who not only theorised about ideas, but also subjected himself to personla experiment to analyse at close encounter the processes of experience. This book, a novel may be recognised as the prophetic announcement of our modern era's perspectives of the world....more

Reading any book of Huxley, one caanot fail to feel the encounter of one of the greatest minds ever existed, the man is simply a genius, who not only theorised about ideas, but also subjected himself to personla experiment to analyse at close encounter the processes of experience. This book, a novel may be recognised as the prophetic announcement of our modern era's perspectives of the world. Psychology is yet catching up with the notion of human programming and the production of persona design. Ideology may play the role of personal orientations so that the phenotype is culturally preconditioned, but Brave New World shows concern with the genotype being preconditioned while in embryo that the phenotype may produce an unchangeable character...reading this book or any of Huxley's untimely books, one never sees one's life or life as a whole the same way again...   hide