Morals and Societal Norms of Brave New World In the science-fiction novel Brave New World by Aldous Huxley written in 1932, Huxley explores a futuristic society called the “World State” where people are separated into castes and have specific tasks all for the good of their dystopian society. There are numerous topics discussed throughout the novel that illustrate Huxley’s predictions for the world and society as a whole. Drug use, promiscuity and religion all have an effect on these predictions and help define society. Drug use and religion match the vision created by Huxley in Brave New World, proving that the world is becoming more dependent on drugs and is becoming more secular; however, in modern society monogamy is still highly valued
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Brave New World takes place in 2540, 523 years from now. Religion today may get this level by that time, but it isn’t easy to compare since time hasn’t reached that point yet. Technology is booming which has contributed to the world turning away from a higher being, scientific discoveries also prove that certain aspects of God cannot be explained. Huxley illustrates the fact that the citizens haven’t lived in a world “with a God” in so long by stating that, "There was a thing, as I've said before, called Christianity… The ethics and philosophy of under-consumption…So essential when there was under-production; but in an age of machines and the fixation of nitrogen—positively a crime against society." (Huxley 87-88). Christianity is so foreign to them that they don’t really know what they are missing out on or what to compare it to: Ford is all they have ever known. In today’s world it is so easy to assume that everyone has a specific religion affinity, especially in countries such as the United States that was founded on Christian ideals, but this is not the case. In fact, “The religiously unaffiliated, called ‘nones,’ are growing significantly. They’re the second largest religious group in North America and most of Europe. In the United States, nones make up almost a quarter of the population” (Bullard). Therefore, it can be inferred that the world is becoming the way it is in Brave New …show more content…
Many people fight a substance use disorder every day and are emotionally unstable because of it. For long-term drug abusers, functioning in today’s society is a challenge that some will never overcome due to reliance on drugs. They have a change in behavior and drugs, to them, are “difficult to resist or overcome, particularly when there is physical drug dependence” (“Addiction”). This shows similarities to Brave New World by explaining the underlying causes of addiction and why people who take drugs can’t stop. By regulating the drugs people take every day, Brave New World’s government displays euphoria due to drugs, which is not always the case in modern society. The government makes all people in societal classes think they are wrong to feel any emotion other than happiness. In reality, the characters in Brave New World are addicts who can’t put down their “precious soma” (Huxley). A disparity between Brave New World’s society and modern society is the way people can get addicted. By consistently abusing drugs, the effects in modern society can end up harmful to the person taking them, but in Brave New World’s society, people who take the drug soma feel better and are encouraged to take
Brave New World takes place in 2540, 523 years from now. Religion today may get this level by that time, but it isn’t easy to compare since time hasn’t reached that point yet. Technology is booming which has contributed to the world turning away from a higher being, scientific discoveries also prove that certain aspects of God cannot be explained. Huxley illustrates the fact that the citizens haven’t lived in a world “with a God” in so long by stating that, "There was a thing, as I've said before, called Christianity… The ethics and philosophy of under-consumption…So essential when there was under-production; but in an age of machines and the fixation of nitrogen—positively a crime against society." (Huxley 87-88). Christianity is so foreign to them that they don’t really know what they are missing out on or what to compare it to: Ford is all they have ever known. In today’s world it is so easy to assume that everyone has a specific religion affinity, especially in countries such as the United States that was founded on Christian ideals, but this is not the case. In fact, “The religiously unaffiliated, called ‘nones,’ are growing significantly. They’re the second largest religious group in North America and most of Europe. In the United States, nones make up almost a quarter of the population” (Bullard). Therefore, it can be inferred that the world is becoming the way it is in Brave New …show more content…
Many people fight a substance use disorder every day and are emotionally unstable because of it. For long-term drug abusers, functioning in today’s society is a challenge that some will never overcome due to reliance on drugs. They have a change in behavior and drugs, to them, are “difficult to resist or overcome, particularly when there is physical drug dependence” (“Addiction”). This shows similarities to Brave New World by explaining the underlying causes of addiction and why people who take drugs can’t stop. By regulating the drugs people take every day, Brave New World’s government displays euphoria due to drugs, which is not always the case in modern society. The government makes all people in societal classes think they are wrong to feel any emotion other than happiness. In reality, the characters in Brave New World are addicts who can’t put down their “precious soma” (Huxley). A disparity between Brave New World’s society and modern society is the way people can get addicted. By consistently abusing drugs, the effects in modern society can end up harmful to the person taking them, but in Brave New World’s society, people who take the drug soma feel better and are encouraged to take