Julian Huxley

President John F. Kennedy once said “conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.” The concept of conformity and individuality is clearly illustrated in the novel Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury. Like most dystopian novels, Fahrenheit 451 contains a damaged society in which the people use technology as a distraction to avoid any critical thinking. The lack of meaningful relationships that the masses have with their family displays technology’s negative impact on this society.…

In the words of Gabriel Garcia Márquez, one of the most renowned Latin American authors, “The interpretation of our reality through patterns not our own, only serves to make us ever more unknown, ever less free, ever more solitary.” These words echo throughout one of Márquez’s most brilliant works, Chronicle of a Death Foretold, published in 1981. Chronicle of a Death Foretold is infused with magical elements, which contradict the journalistic nature of the novel. The result is a suspended…

The movie, Colossus: The Forbin Project, discussed the use of an artificial intelligence (A.I.) by the government and how it was contrary to humans’ expectations and decided to enslave humanity. Science and technology were found and invented by humans. In 1894, Guglielmo Marconi made the first radio; Now we have iPhone X. Our lives are full of science and technology. It is hard to not using them even if it is just a simple action like calling one’s friend. Some people may start to question…

Contentment among the general population, along with a just government and the wellbeing of citizens all work together to create a successful society. In a ideal world, a utopia, all aspects of daily life work perfectly. Dystopian societies carry an allusion of a utopia, but hold totalitarian government systems, laws, and oppressive conditions for citizens. In George Orwell’s Animal Farm, aspects of a dystopian society are present. The cruel, inhumane treatment and absolute control of the…

The idea of Utopia came about through Thomas More’s Utopia. More’s idea of his utopia society is where there is no class, everyone is of the same level and wears the same clothes except to distinguish between male and female. Everybody look the same, act the same and just practically doing the same thing everyday without any freedom to do things they want to or they would probably never wish to as they are expose to the outside world just in their own Utopia society. Furthermore, the housing and…

Technology is both a blessing and a curse to people, in the utility, innovation and progress it promises, and in its inevitable fate as a tool of violence in the hands of mankind, hugely as a result of our own self-serving, power-hungry nature often surpassing our sense of morals by default. Many science fiction novels, chiefly Exegesis by Astro Teller and the Jaunt by Stephen King, explore the concept of technology abuse through the medium of two different ideas alike in nature; the moral…

In today’s world, there is a parallel between the rapid advancement of technology and society’s morals that causes a change over time; this change can be for better or for worse. In the short story, Bloodchild, Octavia Butler shows this change in values through protagonist, Gan, as he struggles with his inner conscience when he is asked to kill an animal for the survival of the alien race. Similarly, in Girl Plugged In by Tiptree, progressions in technology allow people to control the mind of…

In Immune to Reality, by Daniel Gilbert, Love 2.0 by Barbara Fredrickson, and Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi, the authors propose circumstances where they use aspects of the mind and body to counteract culture around them. Gilbert focuses on the psychological immune system to target rejections and traumas caused by culture; Fredrickson focuses on a new form of love extending to strangers to reject the traditional view of love; and Nafisi focuses on self-will and social interactions that…

Humans are oblivious. Their inventions and habitation of the Earth have left them to believe they are the owners of this sphere of rock. However, they are merely paying rent to mother nature. Nature has the ability to thrive without humans, as evident in the 4.5 billion years before mankind. This recurring idea that humans are rather a small part of the world itself is often exercised in various stories and novels. One such story is “There will Come Soft Rains,” by Ray Bradbury. The story is all…

Fordism is what defines the society that Huxley creates, in the novel a Brave New World. Without God or any type of religion, science, and art, people grow up with everything they need, right in front of them, at all times. The society of the World State is spoiled; every person is ashamed to have feelings, so they react promiscuously to get what they want, and whenever they feel miserable they take soma, which instantly make them feel better. The language Huxley uses throughout the novel helps…