Charles Darwin, founder of theory of evolution, once said, "The highest possible stage in moral culture is when we recognize that we ought to control our thoughts." If the highest point is control over thoughts, then the lowest point must be when individuals have no control over their own minds. This is evident in Orwell's 1984 through Ingsoc regime's philosophy on thought control where people don't have freedom of thought. Another example is Stanley's criticism on 1984 where he illustrates that by controlling what is in the minds of people, government puts individuals in a state of unconsciousness which abuses them as mindless machines. Moreover, in North Korea and ISIS the manipulation of children's mind proves that these children lose morals
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In Stanley's criticism on 1984, he reinforce the party's goal of creating blind followers by saying, “In Nineteen Eighty-four orthodoxy means not thinking or even needing to think. It is unconsciousness” (Stanley). The party believes that as long as people are given a choice, there's always a chance that they might choose "wrong" no matter how much they are educated by party’s values. People are no threat to the party only when they are at one with the party by being completely brainwashed to the point that they don't know themselves individually. The party’s goal is to destroy any ideology that is not theirs so by shutting people’s emotions and independent thought they turn people into moving pieces of meat filled with nothing beyond the party. Furthermore, Stanley illustrates how killing Winston inside was the true death of him by saying, “Winston Smith dies the death of Socrates reversed: spiritually, not physically, by the mastering of his will by that of the Party incarnated in O'Brien” (Stanley). If Winston had died holding on to his beliefs as Socrates did, he would have won the victory over the party; however, the party wins by manipulating his thoughts and emotion to the point that they're party’s thoughts and feelings. Winston's reverse death symbolizes the death of independent emotions and thoughts as a result of controlling people's minds since the true Winston slowly dies as he is brainwashed and finally after room 101, there’s nothing left but an outer shell. Overall, Stanley’s criticism demonstrates how an individual’s true death is the death of their beliefs due to psychological
In Stanley's criticism on 1984, he reinforce the party's goal of creating blind followers by saying, “In Nineteen Eighty-four orthodoxy means not thinking or even needing to think. It is unconsciousness” (Stanley). The party believes that as long as people are given a choice, there's always a chance that they might choose "wrong" no matter how much they are educated by party’s values. People are no threat to the party only when they are at one with the party by being completely brainwashed to the point that they don't know themselves individually. The party’s goal is to destroy any ideology that is not theirs so by shutting people’s emotions and independent thought they turn people into moving pieces of meat filled with nothing beyond the party. Furthermore, Stanley illustrates how killing Winston inside was the true death of him by saying, “Winston Smith dies the death of Socrates reversed: spiritually, not physically, by the mastering of his will by that of the Party incarnated in O'Brien” (Stanley). If Winston had died holding on to his beliefs as Socrates did, he would have won the victory over the party; however, the party wins by manipulating his thoughts and emotion to the point that they're party’s thoughts and feelings. Winston's reverse death symbolizes the death of independent emotions and thoughts as a result of controlling people's minds since the true Winston slowly dies as he is brainwashed and finally after room 101, there’s nothing left but an outer shell. Overall, Stanley’s criticism demonstrates how an individual’s true death is the death of their beliefs due to psychological