A STARK WARNING (Brave New World - Aldous Huxley)

Member Name: hazzeryoda

Product:	Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
Date:	18/11/00 (65 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: cleverly written, timeless, possible?

Disadvantages: some people may feel it is primitive

Brave New World is Huxleys' best known work. Set in the future of about 550Yrs, the only religion known or allowed is the following of Henry Ford, the american car designer. 'Our Lord' is replaced by 'Our Ford', all crosses are replaced by T's (the T-Model). Ford pioneered the 'conveyor belt' method of manufacture.

Free thought is heavily supressed and overruled by utopian pleasures and fulfilment. Promiscuity and soma, a cannabis variant are promoted. People are genetically engineered in to various social castes. There are the Alpha Pluses, which are regarded as the elite, through Betas, Gammas, Deltas and Epsilon half-morons.

People are created through the budding of ova from removed ovaries, tens of thousand of eggs can be budded off one ova. These then are mechanically fertilised and individually matured in phials. They develop in special environmetnally controlled states, hormones and vital nutrients injected at various stages. Castes are formed by the adding of alcohol in to the blood surrogate to cause mental defects and less brain action. All this happens on a massive conveyor belt moving inches per day.

Babies are then predestinated and taught thisngs according to their castes. Alpha are subconciously taught to consume products and to hate betas and other lower castes. Electro-shoch therapy wires in new insticts of life, determined purely by the govenrment.

A lot is happening in Brave New World and at stages is a shocking portrayal of possibilities of technological advances. This may sound very unrely and as if it may never happen, but everything is meticulously explained through clever uses of dialogue and narration. The benefits to people and the world are apparent in this brave new world and it is written in a very realistic way.

An important book whatever you believe.

Harry

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