Pleasure Will Destroy Society | Brave New World

Summary

The script delves into Aldous Huxley's 'Brave New World', exploring its philosophical depths and dystopian society built on pleasure and stability over individuality and deep emotional connections. It questions the value of happiness, the nature of art, love, and freedom, and the cost of sacrificing these for a life of shallow contentment. The video challenges viewers to reflect on what truly matters in life and whether a society that prioritizes pleasure above all else is desirable or dehumanizing.

Takeaways

• 📚 The novel 'Brave New World' by Aldous Huxley presents a dystopian society where happiness is the ultimate goal, but at the cost of individuality and freedom.
• 🤔 The story prompts deep philosophical questions about the nature of pleasure, the value of individuality, and the potential dangers of a society driven by hedonistic principles.
• 🛑 Huxley's world explores the idea that pleasure can be a tool for societal control, suggesting that a constant state of happiness might not be as fulfilling as it seems.
• 🚫 The society depicted in the novel suppresses emotions, critical thinking, and the concept of family, using psychological conditioning and drugs like Soma to maintain a stable and compliant populace.
• 🧬 A strict caste system is enforced through genetic manipulation and conditioning from birth, ensuring that individuals accept their predetermined roles and do not aspire to more.
• 🎭 The absence of art, creativity, and deep emotional connections in 'Brave New World' is highlighted as a significant loss, suggesting that these aspects of human experience are crucial for a meaningful life.
• ❤️ The novel challenges the concept of love and relationships, presenting a society where emotional connections are discouraged in favor of promiscuity and detachment.
• 🔒 The use of shame and social ostracism as tools for control in the novel illustrates the power of societal norms in shaping individual behavior and the potential for abuse of this power.
• 💔 The character John the Savage represents the struggle against the dystopian society, seeking the 'right to be unhappy' and the depth of human experience beyond superficial pleasure.
• ⚖️ 'Brave New World' raises ethical questions about the value of suffering and sacrifice, suggesting that the elimination of pain might also remove the potential for profound human experiences and growth.
• 🌐 The novel serves as a warning for the present and future, encouraging readers to question societal norms, the pursuit of pleasure, and the importance of preserving human dignity and autonomy.

Q & A

What is the central theme explored in Aldous Huxley's 'Brave New World'?

The central theme explored in 'Brave New World' is the idea of a society driven by the pursuit of pleasure and stability, and the potential dangers and philosophical implications of sacrificing individuality, freedom, and deeper human experiences for a life of shallow contentment and hedonistic paradise.

How does the society in 'Brave New World' use pleasure as an instrument of control?

The society in 'Brave New World' uses pleasure as a tool of control by promoting a culture of hedonism where citizens are conditioned to seek pleasure above all else. This is achieved through drugs like Soma, which stave off any lingering suffering, and a social system designed to prevent emotional depth or philosophical questioning.

What is the role of the 'controllers' in the society depicted in the novel?

The 'controllers' in the society of 'Brave New World' are the governing body that maintains stability and ensures the population's happiness by enforcing strict social controls, including psychological conditioning, a caste system, and the widespread use of pleasure-inducing drugs.

How does the caste system in 'Brave New World' contribute to societal stability?

The caste system in 'Brave New World' contributes to societal stability by predetermining each citizen's role and social status based on their genetic manipulation and conditioning during early development. This system ensures that each class is content with their position and has no desire or ability to challenge the social order.

What is the significance of the character John the Savage in the narrative of 'Brave New World'?

John the Savage is significant as he represents a contrasting view to the society's values. Raised outside the World State, he embodies individuality, emotional depth, and a connection to art and literature. His presence challenges the citizens' understanding of happiness and raises questions about the cost of their society's pursuit of pleasure.

How does 'Brave New World' address the philosophical debate on the value of individuality versus societal stability?

The novel addresses this debate by presenting a society that has sacrificed individuality for the sake of stability and pleasure. It questions whether the loss of individuality and the inability to experience a full range of human emotions and experiences are worth the contentment and order provided by the World State.

What is the role of art and creativity in the society of 'Brave New World'?

In the society of 'Brave New World', art and creativity are largely suppressed. The controllers have eliminated the need for art as a coping mechanism for an imperfect world, arguing that since they have eradicated suffering, the need for art has also been outgrown. This reflects a society that values uniformity and control over the expression of individual emotions and ideas.

How does the concept of 'free love' function in the society depicted in the novel?

In 'Brave New World', 'free love' is a societal norm that encourages casual and non-committal sexual relationships without emotional attachment. This practice is used to further disconnect citizens from forming deep emotional bonds and to maintain the stability of the society by preventing the formation of exclusive relationships that could disrupt social order.

What is the significance of the drug 'Soma' in the society of 'Brave New World'?

Soma is a drug in 'Brave New World' that provides instant happiness and contentment, eliminating any feelings of sadness or discontent. Its significance lies in its role as a tool for social control, ensuring that citizens remain happy and compliant without questioning the nature of their society or seeking deeper emotional experiences.

How does 'Brave New World' explore the idea of sacrifice in the context of a pleasure-driven society?

The novel explores the idea of sacrifice by showing a society that has eliminated the need for personal sacrifice in the pursuit of pleasure. It questions whether the absence of sacrifice and the lack of commitment to anything beyond immediate gratification result in a loss of deeper meaning and fulfillment in life.

What philosophical questions does 'Brave New World' raise about the nature of happiness and the human condition?

The novel raises questions about whether happiness is the ultimate goal of human life, whether all forms of happiness are equal, and if the pursuit of happiness can be detrimental if it comes at the expense of other aspects of human experience such as individuality, freedom, and the ability to experience a full range of emotions.

Outlines

00:00

📚 The Philosophical Depths of 'Brave New World'

The video script begins with a discussion on the nature of pleasure and its role as a societal and philosophical tool, as explored in Aldous Huxley's 'Brave New World'. The novel, frequently listed among the greatest of the 20th century, presents a dystopian society where happiness is manufactured through hedonistic means, leading to a lack of emotional and philosophical depth. The society's reliance on drugs like Soma to maintain a state of contentment is contrasted with the rebellion of a few individuals who seek more than superficial gratification. The script also introduces the video's sponsor, Short Form, which provides summaries and analyses of various books.

05:03

🌱 The Structure and Conditioning of the New World

This paragraph delves into the societal structure of 'Brave New World', where a global government maintains stability and pleasure through strict control over citizens' lives from conception. People are artificially created and divided into classes that determine their future roles and social positions. Psychological conditioning from an early age instills beliefs about society and the state, with the use of drugs like Soma to suppress any emotional depth or individuality. The story follows characters like Lenina Crown, Bernard Marx, and Helm Holtz Watson as they encounter John the Savage, who was born outside the World State and represents an alternative to the conditioned society.

10:05

🧐 The Philosophical Implications of Social Cohesion

The script examines the underlying philosophy of the controllers in 'Brave New World', who prioritize social cohesion above all else, leading to the suppression of individuality. It draws parallels with the ideas of philosophers like Arthur Schopenhauer, who valued solitude as a means to individual freedom, contrasting with the World State's aversion to solitude and its promotion of uniformity. The paragraph explores the tension between the desire for social acceptance and the potential for individuality to cause social conflict, questioning the value of individual uniqueness in a society that prizes stability.

15:06

🤔 The Value of Individuality vs. Collective Happiness

This section of the script questions the value of individuality in the context of a society that seems happier without it. It contrasts the World State's citizens, who are content but lack individuality, with philosophical perspectives that emphasize the importance of individual flourishing. The script introduces the ideas of Aristotle, who believed in 'eudaimonia' or flourishing as the ultimate human good, which can sometimes require struggle and pain. The novel challenges utilitarian philosophies that prioritize happiness above all else, prompting a deeper discussion on whether the loss of individuality is a worthwhile trade-off for increased happiness.

20:08

🎭 The Suppression of Creativity and Emotional Depth

The script discusses the World State's suppression of creativity and emotional depth, as seen through the character Helmholtz Watson, who struggles with the lack of meaningful art in the society. The absence of great literature and the shallowness of the entertainment in 'Brave New World' are highlighted, with the controllers arguing that the suffering and strife that give rise to profound art have been eliminated. The paragraph explores philosophical debates about the purpose of art and whether it is necessary for pleasure or serves a deeper human need for expression and connection.

25:08

💔 The Transformation of Love into Consumption

This paragraph examines the concept of love in 'Brave New World', where it has been reduced to a form of consumption, devoid of emotional connection or commitment. The script contrasts this with traditional views of love as a profound, potentially painful, but ultimately fulfilling experience. It discusses the World State's conditioning to eliminate the desire for deep connections, replacing it with a culture of free love that treats romantic interaction as a simple recreational activity, raising questions about the loss of meaningful relationships and the nature of commitment.

30:10

😳 The Power of Shame and Social Isolation

The script explores the use of shame as a tool for social control in 'Brave New World', focusing on the character Bernard Marx, who experiences isolation due to his stature and non-conformity with societal norms. It discusses the psychological impact of shame, which is used by the controllers to enforce compliance and maintain social order. The paragraph delves into the concept of shame as a form of punishment that preys on the individual's desire for social acceptance, highlighting the power dynamics at play in the World State.

35:11

🙏 The Elimination of Sacrifice and Deeper Meaning

This section discusses the concept of sacrifice and its significance in providing a deeper meaning to life, as seen in various religious and philosophical contexts. The script contrasts this with the World State of 'Brave New World', where the opportunity for sacrifice is removed, and individuals are conditioned to avoid discomfort and pursue immediate pleasure. It examines the idea that sacrifice can lead to a sense of fulfillment and argues that the absence of sacrifice in the World State may result in a loss of meaningful experiences and personal growth.

40:12

🤯 The Complexities of Pleasure and Human Experience

The script concludes with an in-depth analysis of the concept of pleasure as presented in 'Brave New World', questioning the controllers' assumption that all pleasures are equal and that happiness can be quantified. It discusses the philosophical implications of valuing pleasure above all else, the potential emptiness of a pleasure-focused existence, and the importance of negative experiences in creating a rich and meaningful life. The paragraph raises questions about the nature of happiness and whether there are aspects of human experience that are more valuable than fleeting moments of joy.

45:12

🚨 The Timely Warnings of Dystopian Fiction

In the final paragraph, the script reflects on the relevance of 'Brave New World' in the 21st century, highlighting the novel's unique warnings about a society that is distracted by pleasure and unaware of its own oppression. It encourages viewers to question societal norms and personal values, to be aware of the potential for pleasure to be used as a tool for manipulation, and to consider what aspects of life are more important than transient happiness. The script leaves viewers with a thought-provoking question about the true nature of a good life and whether the World State's pursuit of pleasure is a worthy goal.

Keywords

💡Pleasure Principle

The Pleasure Principle is a concept often associated with the idea that pleasure is the ultimate human good. In the context of the video, it is discussed critically as the end goal of human action, particularly in relation to the dystopian society depicted in Aldous Huxley's 'Brave New World', where the pursuit of pleasure is used as a tool for societal control and manipulation.

💡Dystopian Novel

A dystopian novel is a genre of literature that presents a society that is undesirable or frightening, often as a critique of some aspect of the present society. 'Brave New World' is highlighted in the video as a prime example of this genre, with its exploration of a hedonistic society that masks deeper philosophical and ethical issues.

💡Hedonistic Paradise

A hedonistic paradise refers to an ideal state where pleasure and happiness are the primary focus. The video contrasts this concept with the reality of Huxley's world, where such a paradise results in a loss of individuality, emotional depth, and philosophical inquiry, suggesting a cost to this kind of societal focus.

💡Philosophical Depth

Philosophical depth refers to the profound and complex ideas or questions that underpin a narrative or concept. The video praises 'Brave New World' for its philosophical depth, which is demonstrated through its exploration of topics such as individuality, pleasure, freedom, and the nature of a good life.

💡Utilitarianism

Utilitarianism is an ethical theory that promotes the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. The video script discusses how this philosophy is taken to an extreme in 'Brave New World', where the maximization of pleasure overrides other values and leads to a critique of its own.

💡Individuality

Individuality refers to the unique qualities that define a person. In the script, the loss of individuality in 'Brave New World' is portrayed as a significant cost of the society's focus on stability and pleasure, suggesting that a lack of individuality can be detrimental to human fulfillment.

💡Soma

Soma is a fictional drug in 'Brave New World' that induces happiness and is used to maintain social control. The video discusses the implications of such a substance, questioning whether artificially induced happiness can be considered genuine or desirable.

💡Existential Individuality

Existential individuality relates to the belief that one's existence has inherent value and uniqueness. The video contrasts this with the world of 'Brave New World', where individuality is suppressed for the sake of societal stability and pleasure, raising questions about the value of individual existence.

💡Eudaimonia

Eudaimonia, also known as human flourishing, refers to a state of fulfillment and the realization of one's potential. The video contrasts this concept with the superficial happiness of 'Brave New World', suggesting that true fulfillment may require more than just pleasure.

💡Determinism

Determinism is the philosophical concept that all events, including moral choices, are determined by previously existing causes. The video mentions determinism in the context of 'Brave New World', where individuals' lives are predetermined by their social class and conditioning, limiting their freedom and potential for growth.

💡Creativity

Creativity in the video is discussed as a key human instinct and source of fulfillment that is suppressed in 'Brave New World'. The absence of great art and the inability of its citizens to create or appreciate depth in art is presented as a significant loss in the pursuit of a stable and pleasurable society.

💡Love and Free Love

The concept of love, particularly free love, is explored in the video as an area where 'Brave New World' diverges from traditional values. The video describes how the society's emphasis on promiscuity and the avoidance of emotional connections transforms love into a mere recreational activity, devoid of depth or commitment.

💡Isolation and Shame

Isolation and shame are used as mechanisms of social control in 'Brave New World'. The video explains how the fear of being ostracized and feeling shame keeps individuals in line with societal expectations, highlighting the power of social acceptance and rejection in influencing behavior.

💡Sacrifice

Sacrifice is presented in the video as a deep human need and a source of meaning in life, which is largely absent in 'Brave New World'. The video discusses how the lack of opportunities for genuine sacrifice in the society may lead to a lack of fulfillment and a loss of deeper human connections.

💡The Right to Be Unhappy

The right to be unhappy is a concept introduced in the video that challenges the assumption that happiness is always superior. It suggests that experiencing a full range of emotions, including sadness and discontent, can be valuable and contribute to a more meaningful life, contrasting with the society's insistence on constant happiness.

Highlights

The concept of pleasure as a tool for societal and philosophical torture in Aldous Huxley's 'Brave New World'.

The novel's placement in the top 10 greatest books of the 20th century and its philosophical depth.

A society where happiness is manufactured through drugs and the absence of emotional depth.

The conditioning of citizens from birth to accept their predetermined social class and roles.

The use of psychological conditioning to eliminate the desire for individuality and promote societal stability.

The philosophical debate over the value of individuality versus societal happiness and stability.

The exploration of the consequences of a world without art, creativity, or deep emotional connections.

The dystopian vision of a society that has traded unique human experiences for hedonistic pleasure.

The critique of utilitarianism and the questioning of pleasure as the ultimate human good.

The portrayal of a society where love and emotional connections are discouraged in favor of free love and consumption.

The examination of the psychological effects of living in a society that suppresses individual desires and aspirations.

The role of shame as a tool for social control and the impact on individual psychology.

The philosophical implications of a society that discourages commitment and deep emotional investment.

The discussion on the necessity of sacrifice and its absence in a society focused solely on pleasure.

The right to be unhappy as a form of resistance against a society that enforces constant happiness.

The warning of 'Brave New World' about the potential dangers of a society driven by short-term hedonism.

The reflection on the value of freedom, expression, and individuality in contrast to the pursuit of pleasure.

The philosophical question posed by Huxley: What if the controllers were right about pleasure being all there is?

Transcripts

I don't want Comfort I want God I want

poetry I want real danger I want freedom

I want goodness I want sin we are used

to thinking of pleasure as a good thing

philosophies like utilitarianism even

make it the ultimate human good and the

so-called Pleasure Principle is often

the end point of explaining why we act

in the way that we do but what if

pleasure could be turned around and used

as an instrument of societal and

philosophical torture this is the

terrifying idea explored in Alis

huxley's phenomenal novel Brave New

World it frequently makes the top 10

list for the greatest books of the 20th

century and a close reading uncovers a

philosophical depth unmatched by almost

any other dystopian novel because

whereas other visions of fictional

totalitarianism focus on the suffering

caused by state repression in Brave New

World almost everyone is happy they live

in a hedonistic paradise and yet they

are permanently cut off from any sort of

emotional or Phil opical depth almost

every citizen lives in Shallow

contentment drugs staving off any

lingering suffering and yet a few Souls

choose to Rebel get ready to learn if

there are things more important than

happiness how gratitude can become

perverse and how we too may have become

a bit like huxley's tranquilized

citizens as always bear in mind that

this is just my interpretation of Brave

New World and there is so much I will

not be able to talk about here but let's

begin with a synopsis of the novel and

give an overview of the Society of this

new world as this will be important

context for the rest of the video from

this point on spoilers abound so be

warned but before we dive into that I'd

like to give a quick thank you to our

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and knowledge to gain one a brave new

overview like almost all dystopian

novels the setting of Brave New World is

perhaps the most important character in

the story and the relationship our

protagonists have with the world itself

shapes them just as much as their

interactions with one another if not far

more so Brave New World is set in a

post-war version of Earth where a global

government has taken over run by 10

governors who bear the rather

appropriate title controller and the

policies of this world state are

entirely centered around stability and

pleasure this dictates almost every

decision the controllers make from their

legislation around birth to their

extensive drug program to the culture of

the planet and their work begins at

conception the citizens of this new

world are all artificially created by

the state from eggs and sperm inside a

hatchery and even at this point the fate

of every single person is sealed they

are immediately separated into classes

ranging from alpha plus to Epsilon and

which letter they bear will dictate

their entire lives from the education

they receive to the jobs they will have

to their social position all of it is

determined From This Moment the alpha

pluses will be the future scientists

leaders and venerated Achievers of the

world while the Deltas and the epsilons

will be stuck with menial tasks

depending on which class an embryo

belongs to it is either given an ideal

environment for nourishing its future

physical and psychological development

or it is purposefully stunted with the

application of Alcohol and Other

Solutions designed to hamper their

intellect and body later in life the

idea here is that not only will an

Epsilon not be able to do an alpha plus

job but they would not even want to Once

children are born they are raised by the

state and the concept of mothers and

fathers is totally forbidden every child

is the government's child and each

little one is psychologically

conditioned to hold certain beliefs

about culture society and the other

classes Alphas are taught to look down

on the Deltas and epsilons while deltas

and epsilons are taught to venerate the

alphas but only ever at a distance this

is also where the core principles of the

culture of the state are conditioned the

tenants of unrestricted love making

total emotional

uninvestable authority of the world

controllers are all hammered into these

infant skulls through thousands of

repetitions once they are grown

happiness drugs named Soma are available

on demand and anyone who feels sad or

upset is encouraged to take some Soma to

restore their former Peace of Mind

misery is extremely frowned upon and the

idea of understanding empathy is seen as

outdated the only response anyone has to

another sadness is take aoma the story

of Brave New World follows lenina Crown

Bernard Marx and Helm Holtz Watson as

they deal with the arrival of John The

Savage someone who was born outside of

the world State the plot begins in

Earnest when Bernard takes lenina on

holiday to a Savage reservation these

reservations are the few places in the

world left unconquered by the world

State and they live in small tribal

communities there Bernard meets John who

will later be given the unflattering

name John Savage and his mother Linda

who was a citizen of the world State

mistakenly left behind on a previous

Expedition because his mother was

originally from the world States JN has

always been an outcast in the

reservation and Bernard agrees to take

both him and his mother back to see this

great civilization John had always heard

about at first this works out

wonderfully burn gets a lot of social

status for having found this unique

anomaly and John explores the world

Bernard is a psychologist and he is

fascinated by the way Jon's mind works

so differently from having been raised

outside the stat he also introduces Jon

to both Helm Holtz and lenina helmoltz

works in the government's propaganda

Wing but he Harbors a deep and

treasonous fascination with what art

could be if it was allowed to be created

through a free expression of human

passion and Jon's chaotic experiences on

the reservation as well as his knowledge

of the band works of Shakespeare strike

helmholtz as incredible meanwhile lenina

is very attracted to John the feeling is

mutual but Jon has not been raised with

the principles of total free love where

sex is basically the same thing as

high-fiving so he understandably feels

threatened by lenina's braggadocious

advances and eventually chases her away

Linda Jon's mother decides to spend the

rest of her life in a drug-fueled

semi-coma state in one of the government

hospitals which everyone is broadly

approving of apart from John who thinks

that such art artificial happiness is

abhorent however soon the drugs overtake

Linda's system and her lungs begin to

fail Jon rushes to her bedside weeping

but his grief coupled with his repeated

insistence that she is his mother and

that he loves her causes a public

Scandal everyone in the world's state is

conditioned to think of death as a

pretty unremarkable event and to think

of natural birth as both morally

abhorent and disgusting children are

given tours around the dying in order to

death condition them and when someone is

no longer useful to the state they are

not considered to have that much value

anyway Jon's erratic behavior and

natural displays of grief are considered

socially disruptive and he Bernard and

helmholtz are all hauled up in front of

Mustafa m one of the 10 world

controllers here Mustafa and Jon engage

in a fascinating philosophical dialogue

over the value of different aspects of

human experience and trust me we are

going to go into detail about this later

Mustafa sends Bernard and helmholtz Away

to one of the many islands the state

sends people with enough orig thought to

be considered dangerous while he allows

Jon to go free Bernard is horrified at

the thought of Exile but Mustafa almost

envies him apparently these exiled

islands are not too bad and are also

full of the most interesting people left

on the planet in fact those considered

so interesting that they are a social

disruption having been released back

into society Jon sets up shop in a

lighthouse and wishes to serve as a

living Counterpoint to the hedonistic

values of the new world he engages in

self flagellation and becomes

deliberately primitive assuring any sign

of the civilization he so hates however

soon people begin to show up at his

retreat in order to watch this modern

diogenes he is a curiosity and people

will not leave him alone robbed of even

the small respite of solitude Jon ends

his own life this could have been a last

Act of rebellion or of Despair or of

Torment but either way the man from the

Wilderness who was the only living

person who could serve as a true counter

example to the world state is dead and

the Brave New World continues it is

unchanged and unchallenged and may roll

on indefinately propelled by the weight

of its own inertia it is a fascinating

story and it contains such a host of

ideas questions and criticisms that we

are spoiled for choice on where to start

but I want to begin by examining the

underlying philosophy of the controllers

social cohesion Above All Else and the

interesting and unintuitive

philosophical consequences of this

approach Ro two alone in public the

German philosopher Arthur schopenhauer

lived most of his life in marked

Solitude women seemed to find him

repulsive he had few friends and his

philosophy found almost no admirers

until the very end of his life and

despite all of this loneliness he learns

to Value Solitude incredibly highly

because he thought it was the only time

someone is truly free to be themselves

in public there are always the

constraints of others expectations

threatening to crush what ever nent

individuality we have but in Long

stretches alone we can come to know and

create who we are if we spend our entire

lives with others then that is fine but

we will inevitably stifle whatever could

have been truly unique about us and this

is a theme that Echoes through a number

of 19th century existential philosophers

both kard and N were also very worried

about the impact of the crowd or the

Herd on others no one person can stand

against the immense power and momentum

of an entire public public so if they do

not wish to be devoured then they must

find some solace in solitude nature

implores people to symbolically climb

the mountain alone so that they can grow

their individuality and not just become

another limb of the eldrich crowds that

dominate the social sphere but for the

government of Brave New World no

philosophy could be more destructive or

harmful than this one of the main

lessons the citizenry are indoctrinated

with is everyone belongs to everyone

else enjoying Solitude is considered a

St and disgusting Quirk a bit like how

we might view someone who drinks their

own we and the idea behind this is

simple the world controllers agree with

shophow and N they know that Solitude

can cultivate individuality but they

associate this individuality with

unacceptable danger after all with

difference in thought might come

difference in action and with difference

in action might come social conflict and

upheaval how could they tolerate the

possibility of a thinker like n or kard

in a world where stability is prized

above everything else the very notion of

a revolutionary idea or a revolutionary

thinker is destabilizing and why should

we care about them anyway I mean if

everyone is broadly happy then what's

the point of the individual why should

we infect a perfectly happy Society full

of blissful clones with a corrupting

notion of uniqueness or individuality

what possible use could they have for it

and I think we should take the position

of the world State seriously here most

of the time when we ask whether

something is worthwhile or not many of

us tend to judge it according to to

whether it promotes human well-being so

ending world hunger would be a good

thing and massacring puppies would be a

bad thing this is often the line of

argument people use to support the

notion of existential individuality as

well according to them any attempt to

kill the individual inside of us will

leave us feeling empty and unfulfilled

we may try to assimilate into a crowd or

a public identity but there will always

be this nowing sense that we have

betrayed ourselves that we are living a

half life the thing that makes Brave New

World so fascin ating is that this

argument arguably no longer applies we

aren't presented with any evidence that

the notion of individuality will make

anyone in the world State happier if

anything it might make them less so at

the moment they feel no need to be

individuals they are content in their

class positions and have a life which

gives them more hedonistic pleasure than

any of us will ever get but all the same

it strikes us that something is missing

the loss of the individual seems like a

great tragedy even when no one is

suffering from it but can we justify

this position does it make sense to

Value the flourishing of individuals as

individuals as good for its own sake or

is this something that in theory we

should sacrifice for the greater good

the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle

thought that the ultimate human good was

udonia or flourishing this was a

pleasant and fulfilled state that

someone achieved when they were truly

living in accordance with both reason

and virtue it is a kind of individual

fullness that arises from cultivating

our virtues and obeying our duties to

others to our elves and to the gods this

is in contrast to utilitarian philosophy

which valued maximizing human happiness

above all else in Brave New World we see

these philosophies battle it out over

the value of us as unique persons for

Aristotle being happy is all well and

good but it is human development human

virtue that really matters and

importantly this sometimes requires

struggle and pain we cannot be brave if

there is no such thing as danger and we

cannot be magnanimous if we aren't

allowed to form attachments to others

without private action and individuality

udonia becomes impossible even in

Aristotle's extensive list of Duties

that we owe to other people the thing

that makes them virtuous is that they

are given without compulsion in Brave

New World all of this complexity in

ethics and in character is flattened

into maximizing pleasure but there is a

real question of whether this is a

sufficient justification for abolishing

our idiosyncratic usess Brave New World

is hardly the only dystopian novel to

tackle this concept of abolishing the

individual it comes up in 1984 and even

the Hunger Games it is pretty

commonplace for a dystopia to rob people

of what makes them quintessentially them

and absorb every individual person into

a wider idea of the public but what

makes Brave New World so brilliant is

that at a glance this loss of uniqueness

appears to have made everyone happier

whereas you could look at 1984 and say

Obviously a lack of individuality is

part of the reason the citizens are

suffering in huxley's novel they are not

suffering and we have to ask the genuine

question of whether uniqueness is worth

a loss in pleasure would we rather be us

or some happier person who is near

identical to a billion other happy

people where other dystopian fiction

defends individuality on utilitarian

grounds Huxley strikes at the very first

premise of utilitarianism by presenting

us with a situation where we have given

up our individuality for extra happiness

and now we must ask whether it was worth

it this is just the first example of

perhaps the most interesting

philosophical question Huxley poses in

the novel what if anything is more

important to us than feeling good get

used to this question as it's going to

be a major theme throughout the video

and while the topic of individuality

poses this question in the existential

sphere our next topic poses it in the

political one three Plato class and

gratitude in Plato's Republic the old

philosopher has a very similar Quest as

the world controllers do in Brave New

World he wants to create a society that

is stable and just and he also divides

the state into different classes to

achieve this for Plato there is the

bronze class the silver class and the

Gold Class the bronze class would be the

industry of the city the silver class

would form its military and the Gold

Class would be his Infamous philosopher

Kings who ruled from on high and Plato

also wanted his lower bronze class

citizens to enjoy their roles he said

they would never want to be silver or

gold anyway and that this was the best

place for them the place where they

would be happiest in huxley's world this

platonic idea has been taken to the

extreme as I said before there is a

rigid biological class system based on

the nourishment someone receives as an

embryo and as soon as this is done each

class is conditioned to know and love

their place the Deltas and epsilons are

made deliberately unintelligent by the

interventions of the Hatchery and they

are conditioned over their entire

education to love their work at one

point an alpha remarks that if they were

given much more to do than simple busy

work they would be miserable just like

if an Al was given an Epsilon job they

are essentially made grateful for their

position via their conditioning and the

alpha admits that if he was born an

Epsilon he would be conditioned to not

want to be anything else from a purely

utilitarian standpoint this can seem

great in a perverse way the psychologist

mahai shik shent mahai once argued that

us humans are at our most joyous when we

are occupied by a task that we find

meaningful and pushes our abilities

without overwhelming them ideally the

careful interventions of the Hatchery

means that everyone's job does just that

there is no room for social Mobility but

there is no wish for it either if the

epsilons are made content with their

socially devalued and exploited position

then who would we be to stop them are we

going to inflict upon them knowledge

that would only make them unhappy and

that they would not know what to do with

anyway in our world such arguments are

quite rightly viewed as very

condescending and misplaced but that is

partly because in our world almost

everyone can learn new things and become

much more knowledgeable skillful and

intelligent than they already are even

the most Ardent and extreme Believers on

fixed limits on intelligence do not

think that people cannot learn or grow

but in huxley's World there truly is no

possibility of growth for the Deltas or

epsilons which complicates the ethical

question and this is also a much more

extreme form of elitism even than

Plato's at least Plato allowed for

social mobility in theory whereas in

Brave New World it is a biological

impossibility as we move into the mid

21st century and start to explore ways

to edit the genetic makeup of embryos

some people have worried about this

biological hierarchy becoming a reality

so we are presented with a society that

is at the same time extremely unequal

and also perversely meritocratic

everyone ends up where they can perform

to the best of their abilities but at

the same time this is predetermined from

birth the potential of the majority of

the population is deliberately stunted

and they are made to enjoy this again we

see the challenge to the first

principles of utilitarianism this may be

a happy situation but does it not seem

somehow grow T is our moral intuition

not screaming at us that this situation

is unjust not by virtue of its

consequences but by its very form is

robbing someone of their potential and

making them thank you for it wrong even

if that is technically what will make

that person happiest or is this

kneecapping of someone's development not

respecting their dignity as a rational

agent certainly this is the kind of

thing that Jeremy benam and K would have

a bar fight about if we combine Huxley

with some contemporary philosophy then

the questions become even more

interesting Peter van invagen and Robert

spolski are just the latest in a long

line of determinists people who think

that the outcomes of our lives and even

the choices that we make are

predetermined and thus outside of our

control topolski points out that the

income levels of our parents our

education and the country we are born in

all have disproportionate effects on not

just where we will end up later in life

but also the kind of choices that we

will make if we experience certain types

of childhood trauma then we are more

likely to make decisions based in anger

and if we have a family history of

addiction we are much more likely to

become addicts ourselves all of these

have an effect on our lives but they are

also fundamentally out of our control we

do not choose our genetics or our

upbringing or really our education until

the higher levels and there are also

examples of this that are so obvious we

don't even register them on a day-to-day

basis if you are born attractive then

you have innumerable advantages in your

career relationships and more if you are

born with a debilitating illness this

can severely limit your options in life

and none of this is even remotely up to

us perhaps the scariest part of huxley's

determinist class system is that it is

an exaggerated and agential version of

Something the universe arguably already

does to us as a child we did not control

how we were raised or our genetics or

our social environment or even our

nutrition and yet this is a huge

determinant of where we will end up

later in life and what we will choose to

do later in life for instance if we were

part of the generation whose mothers

took thalidomide to help with Mourning

sickness then we might have been born

with it Associated syndrome and had our

physical growth impaired considerably a

huge sighe of our options in life cut

off in an instant through no choice of

our own sure we notice the extreme

effects of this particular example but

if the determinists are right then

structurally our situation is no

different we may not live in the

profoundly unfree system of huxley's

world but we don't often acknowledge the

ways in which our own universe is doing

the work of the Hatchery directors for

them and you don't even need to be an

outright determinist to recognize this

and in some way huxley's world even has

an advantage over our own at least they

can recognize all of the aspects of

their lives that are out of their hands

they can point to the hatcheries and say

look there that is why I am what I am

whereas many of us live with the

inherited idea that whatever happens to

us is solely the result of our own

merits and demerits even if you believe

that someone is radically responsible

for everything that happens in their

lives that does not mean that they have

caused it in huxley's world people know

what is constraining their choice es but

do we know what is constraining ours or

do we instead pretend we are much Freer

than we actually are just because we

don't have 10 Global controllers

Watching Over Us does not mean that we

are the masters of our own fate to what

extent can we truly claim credit for

where we are in life and how much did

causal factors outside of our control

intercede on our behalf or seal our

unhappy fate such questions lie at the

intersection of the debate around Free

Will ethics moral responsibil ility and

much more once again the philosophical

depth of huxley's novel is plain for all

to see but next I want to look at how

the world state has murdered a key human

instinct and one that many of us hold in

very high esteem four creativity and

consumption in one of France kafka's

letters he describes that he and his

novels are one and the same if you want

to know him then read his writings and

if you don't then the deepest parts of

him will be forever closed off to you it

is a characteristically drama

Proclamation for the Bohemian Legend but

it also strikes at the heart of

something that makes many people's lives

truly fulfilling their ability to create

one of the only books that was available

to John while he was growing up on the

reservation was the complete works of

Shakespeare which no one in the world

state was allowed to read and when he

enters this futuristic Society one of

the glaring emissions is great art he

goes to one of the entertainment venues

with lenina to watch a fely a kind of

all immersive film but he is horrified

by the shallowness of the art on display

it is all just stock storylines about

two-dimensional characters it does not

challenge nor does it reveal anything it

does not encourage reflection or even

pose an interesting question it is

pleasant but it is never anything more

than that and this causes John immense

distress this frustration about art is

shared by the propagandist helmholtz

helmholtz desperately wants to create

art but despite being one of the deepest

thinkers anyone has come across in the

world State he still cannot summon up

anything of depth or insight to write

when he encounters The Works of

Shakespeare through John he is astounded

at the creativity on display this is

what has been missing from his life but

his programming is so entrenched that he

can't even fully appreciate it he can

Glimpse its beauty admire its creativity

but its tragedies fall flat and some of

its Great Moments are rendered

unintentionally ridiculous and crude

this saddens John because he realizes

that not only has helmholtz been made

unable to create things that are

expressive but the very ability to see

and recognize depths of emotion or

passion has been totally stolen from him

most of the spectrum of emotional

experience is unexplored territory and

while he is in a sense happy this has

come at the cost of hobbling his psyche

and this is meant to be one of the most

gifted Alpha pluses in Europe someone

everyone recognizes as a genius a

towering intellect but try as he might

he is impotent to create this dialogue

about art and creativity comes to a head

in the conversation between John and

muster M at the end of the novel John is

bemoaning the state of Art in the new

world and Mustafar surprisingly agrees

he says there is nothing that they make

or even could make that would compare to

Shakespeare according to him you cannot

have art except by suffering and strife

for Mustafar extreme creativity can only

exist as long as there is war famine

disease pain loss and grief but he and

the other world controllers have worked

very hard hard to eliminate these sure

the quality of art has decreased but if

the whole purpose of Art in the first

place was to help us cope with an

imperfect world is that so bad now such

a world is a thing of the past there is

no need for art it has outgrown its

usefulness and for Mustafar this is not

a cause for despair but for Bittersweet

celebration just as the small poox

vaccine has been rendered pretty much

obsolete because the horrific disease

has been totally eliminated the

controllers have destroyed the suffering

that we needed art to treat no one would

say we should bring back small pox

because without it we don't get the

small poox vaccine for Mustafa the death

of creativity is a small price to pay

for a world without pain and this hits

at the core of an age-old philosophical

debate about the purpose of creating art

is it the job of Arts to produce

pleasure in its audience or does it

strike at something that is more

important than pleasure for instance

Plato thought that beauty was good for

its own sake he would quite often talk

about the beautiful and the good as if

they inevitably went together and one of

the jobs that art does even in his

censorious Republic is reflect the form

of the beautiful other thinkers would

argue that the world controllers have

not eliminated the need for creation for

instance the psychoanalyst Eric from

posits that the act of creating

something is partly aimed at dealing

with a feeling of separateness in a

moment of creativity we become unified

with our craft we become one with it

while maintaining our individuality for

others like Kafka art is partly an

expression of something within a way of

communing with the world and with other

people those aspects of ourselves that

we cannot put into straightforward words

and this is only scratching the surface

of the various different views of Art

and creation that abound among

philosophers something we see an awful

lot in the Diaries and private letters

of great creatives is that their works

sometimes seem like they are bursting

forth from within causing extreme

discomfort if they are not released the

Russian writer and philosopher Theodor

dovi said that one of the unbearable

things about life in his prison camp was

his inability to put pen to paper he was

constantly bursting with ideas and they

were screaming at him to be expressed

but his will was frustrated and many

people feel this to some extent many of

us have a desire to create and to leave

a mark on the World by our creation

nature would have called this a

manifestation of the will to power

Ernest Becker would have called it death

denial and schopenhauer might refer to

it as an externalized will to life so a

huge philosophical question dangles in

the air how important do we think this

desire to create is and are we willing

to sacrifice it if it's going to bring

us more hedonistic pleasure are the

citizens in Brave New World happy in the

greatest sense or are they cut off from

some of the deeper joys of life because

of their inability to exert these inner

creative drives characteristically of

this work there are endless questions

and very few answers and the issues

certainly do not stop there because now

we will move on to something very close

to our hearts the way this utopian

dystopia treats love five love love and

free love some of the greatest stories

in history have centered around love and

its Earth while companion loss we hear

Love's frustrations in the declamations

of Tristan and doal while Romeo's

profession that he n saw true beauty

till this night speaks to the way love

can well and truly knock us over turning

our lives completely upside down love

caused the Trojan War brings joy to

billions of people and edles thought it

was one of the fundamental forces of the

universe suffice to say it's a big deal

and a huge theme in a lot of philosophy

and literature about love is the idea

that we want to merge with another

person in some way in the Bible this is

put as becoming one flesh in Plato's

Symposium lovers are imagined as two

halves of the Same Soul cut in Twain by

the Gods in the 20th century the French

psychoanalyst jacqu Lan spoke of the

tension in Romance between togetherness

and distance there are the twin wishes

to remain independent from our lover and

to meld with them we want to be

reassured by the continued presence of

another person yet also to remain

independent and these desires

understandably come into conflict this

tension can be seen almost everywhere

from the advice to treat them mean to

keep them Keen to the third Act of

almost every single romantic comedy so

it is notable that in Brave New World

the controllers have tried to take this

desire from us to condition us out of it

instead of this wish to merge with

another there is the maxim that everyone

belongs to everyone else and there is a

love that is totally toally free and

here free simply means without

restriction making love is essentially

on par with making a cake lenina is

looked upon as strange for having

vaguely monogamous and committal drives

first she takes up with a man named

Henry and stops seeing other people and

then later she forms a unique

Fascination for John her friends look

upon this as totally bizarre as do the

rest of the citizens for them love and

love making is not something you do with

someone you care about instead it is all

simple Recreation and nothing more

indeed the very notion of an emotional

passionate connection either with a

single person or with multiple people is

condemned in the strongest terms even

the word mother is considered vulgar

because of the special connection it

implies someone has with their child I

find this very interesting because the

view of love the world State ends up

taking is at once deeply individualist

and also very collectivist on the one

hand no one can really open themselves

up to another person in any meaningful

fashion because that would require the

dreaded emotional connection but on the

other hand everyone is free to be CED by

anyone else at any time there is the

illusion of freedom but every choice

amounts to the same thing a shallow

connection with someone you are using as

a self-pleasure Aid everyone belongs to

everyone else but everyone is also a

consumable object to everyone else and

in a flurry of Freedom the citizens of

the new world find they have no choices

because in what sense is a choice

meaningful if its effects are the same

as every other one we could have made

with only superficial differences

dancing along the surface connection has

been totally replaced by consumption the

fundamental option that is barred from

the new world is that of commitment no

one has the ability to commit to another

person in fact it will make you a social

Pariah and possibly get you exiled but

it is only through types of commitments

that we get to experience the deeper

layers of Love companionship and more

don't be foed into thinking this point

is more profound than it is it is just

that if we're going to forge a

connection with others then we need to

give that person our time attention and

affection in a way that is

non-transactional and does not treat

them as an object for our own pleasure

it is love freely given and freely

received but not free in the sense of

Brave New World there every romantic

interaction is reduced down to pleasure

traded for pleasure there is nothing

inherently wrong with this being one

dimension of love but if it is the only

Dimension then so much is missed out the

reassurance that someone knows you at a

fundamental level with all of your

little insanities and flaws and loves

you nonetheless the ability to express

your vulnerable affection for someone

else safe in the knowledge that it will

be well received According to Aristotle

virtuous friendship and love was the

deepest and most fulfilling connection

we could Forge with any other person and

yet in Brave New World people are

permanently cut off from this and this

deprivation is made all the more

Insidious because they are not forced to

abandon love at the point of a gun but

instead they are taught that it is

something of little importance and that

taking it seriously is a mark of

undesirable eccentricity I cannot help

but think of how some of my close

friends describe their experiences on

dating apps and see some rather

unsettling parallels this notion of

there being so many people out there

someone could be with yet a fundamental

inability to commit to anyone in

particular reminds me of something that

kard talked about in His Brilliant book

The Sickness unto death a type of

Despair brought on by an excess of

possibility and one example of this is

when we are paralyzed by options so that

each individual choice to not commit to

a single line of action strikes us as

totally consequential but then

eventually our postponement of

investment comes back to bite us and we

never engage in the sort of

unconditional commitment that might

fulfill us for kard commitment is a leap

of faith that we must take to elevate

Our Lives yet it is always terrifying

and to a certain extent irrational but

sometimes just committing to something

is better than to nothing at all the

citizens of Brave New World are arguably

Meed in this despair of possibility and

their only Mercy is that they don't know

what they're missing however we have now

talked an awful lot about the carefully

crafted culture of the world state it is

now time to turn to their enforcement

mechanism and it is a power we are all

sadly familiar with six isolation and

shame if you've been a teenager at some

point then you almost certainly know

shame that creeping feeling that

whatever you are doing is either wrong

or being constantly judged by your peers

it makes you feel like you are

insufficient or defective in some way

after a while the voice of outer

condemnation and and the voice of inner

shame begin to sing from the same hym

sheet and you can end up truly believing

that you are all of those horrible

things that people are saying or

insinuating about you while in many ways

the new world functions as a hedonistic

Paradise shame is the engine of

punishment that keeps everyone in line

This is clearest in the case of Bernard

Marx he is an alpha plus the highest

ranking cast in the world State he's an

accomplished psychologist and by all

accounts should be having a great time

but he is constantly being shamed both

by other people and by himself the first

source of this is quite literally his

stature Bernard is a few inches shorter

than the other Alpha pluses and in a

world where physical size is praised as

a virtue and when the alpha pluses are

purposefully made to Tower above the

lower ranking classes this is a source

of great insecurity for Bernard and it

is something he cannot change in the

slightest he is not content with being a

short King as some people say I don't

know if that term is still relevant my

sister told me about it the other day

but I tend to learn slang terms about 6

months after everyone else stops using

them so let me know if short King is

relevant here or if I just seem like an

old man this little touch of alienation

is also what leads to his separation

from wider Society it is what causes him

to stop taking s and to purposefully

feel sorrow as a little Act of rebellion

against the community that has rejected

him outwardly he wants nothing to do

with this Society but inwardly he yearns

for its approval he is like the child

desperately trying to get his parents

attention after being ignored for so

long and this inner conflict in Bernard

is displayed all throughout the novel

most notably when he brings Jon back to

the world's State and is effectively his

custodian he becomes a bit like a

celebrity he invites only the highest

ranking people to his parties everyone

wants to see Jon and by extension

everyone wants to see him he has the

attention of attractive women something

he could previously only dream of and he

has the social standing of someone far

above even his position and he loves

this his opinion of the state changes on

a whim and all of a sudden he

appreciates what he previously hated of

course as soon as his Newfound Fame

evaporates when Jon refuses to make an

appearance at one of his parties he goes

right back to despising this horrible

new world but despite its amusing

undertones I actually think Bernard's

experience of Shame is very insightful

and it's one of the most underrated

aspects of huxley's novel in a recent

paper James Lang argued that shame stems

from a thwarted desire to connect with

other people in a socially acceptable or

proper way so when we are shamed and

when we experience shame we are reing

two distinct messages the first is that

despite our wish to connect we are not

connecting and secondly that this is

because of some value failing on our

part in other words we are not just

being rejected but we are being rejected

specifically because we are deficient in

some way there are clear cases where we

might actually want to communicate this

message we might want to let a mass

murderer know that their social

rejection is as a direct result of their

failure to live up to the moral

standards of the community but if we

take Lang's analysis seriously then we

we immediately notice two further things

one shaming only works if someone

actually desires to connect with us and

two shame can bleed into someone's

self-conception because we're telling

them that they are not only denied

connection but denied it because of

something wrong about them specifically

and this is where the unsettling way the

controllers use shame in Brave New World

comes into Focus there is only one world

State and one world culture moreover

every child is conditioned from birth to

desire socialization and companionship

and to find Solitude and quiet

reflection incredibly uncomfortable in

other words the setup is perfect to make

shame as painful as possible everyone is

taught to desire social acceptance and

these shallow Connections in the extreme

but at the same time there is only one

way to achieve this desire and if you

don't get it that way then you are

permanently isolated and alone and since

these citizens are taught to associate

being alone with being deficient and the

only weird people want to spend time

with themselves they conclude that if

they are not constantly in the company

of others there must be something deeply

wrong with them and underneath all of

his spite Bernard thinks this too of

course this also means that if the

controllers ever wanted to bring someone

back from the brink of rebellion then

they could snap their fingers and summon

up some social acceptance for them and

they would react exactly how burnard did

his programming still has a total hold

on him and as soon as the opportunity

arises he leaps back into the arms of

the institutions he so hated this is the

existentially terrifying nature of shame

it Stokes our desire for acceptance at

the very same time it denies it to us

Brave New World communicates just how

powerful a form of social control shame

can be and Huxley uses it to great

effect in the unsettling dynamics of

burnard's relationships it also reminds

us of the long-lasting effects of

rejection Bernard has faced rejection

his entire life and as a result he

becomes immensely vulnerable to

betraying his principles at the first

sign of acceptance by contrast Helm H

halt has always been considered an

exceptional and brilliant man and has

only had encouragement wherever he went

so by the events of the novel he does

not require social acceptance and this

allows him to bear his Exile with

dignity while Bernard flies into a

frenzy at the thought of losing what

little social position he had but next

we shall move on to huxley's analysis of

a deep and controversial human need one

that we see come up in philosophy quite

a lot but that often goes unacknowledged

seven the necessity of sacrifice all

through the New Testament of the Bible

we see themes of sacrifice the most VI

example of this is Christ dying on the

cross and so redeeming all of mankind

but we also see the apostles give up

their possessions and their former lives

to follow Jesus St Paul sacrific his

livelihood to spread the word of God and

the Virgin Mary give up her beloved Son

for the good of the world and this is

not just a theme in Christian scripture

it appears in Buddhist texts where

monastics are instructed to live in

service to others and in the vadas where

rituals of sacrifice are outlined and

this widespread usage of sacrifice as a

motif is kind of remarkable able given

how potentially unpleasant sacrifice can

be by definition a sacrifice is the

giving up of something good in service

to something greater and that's sort of

a tough pill to swallow but what is

perhaps even worse than sacrifice is

having nothing we would want to

sacrifice for the philosopher Bernard

Williams talks of categorical desires

these are things that we would desire to

happen even if we were not around to see

them for instance I might wish that my

siblings achieve success in whatever

they do even if I do not live to see it

happen that would be a categorical

desire but I'm not going to wish that my

bacon sandwich tomorrow would still be

here even if I die in the night thus

that is not a categorical desire

intuitively categorical desires

transcend our thoughts about ourselves

and our own pleasure and reach out into

the world to imbue an aspect of it with

value it is striving for something

greater than ourselves and according to

Williams categorical desires are a huge

part of what makes our lives meaningful

they are what stop our existence from

becoming a solipsistic circle jerk and

allows us to Value things for their own

sake rather than merely what they can do

for us and the value of this idea seems

intimately connected with sacrifice

having a categorical desire is in effect

having something outside yourself that

you value just as much or more than your

own pleasure it is thus very close to

having something worth sacrificing for

and it's a good thing too without these

categorical desires we would have no

reason to care about anything whose

timeline stretches beyond our own depth

of course Williams is not the only

person who's working is relevant here if

we examine Nature's working definition

of meaning we see it as something like a

thing you are willing to act in service

to or to stick more closely to his

terminology a higher purpose you are

able to sublimate your will to for him

it is what allows us to transcend

short-term Hedonism and make our lives

not just pleasant but fulfilling and

organized to bring this idea down to

earth think of the parents you know and

how they say they would not just

sacrifice for their child but do so

happily without a shred of doubt or

resentment in their heart and that they

find this fact both comforting and

fulfilling if nature is to be believed

this is the kind of meaning a

sacrificial attitude can imbue us with

and we can see people's willingness and

even eagerness to sacrifice quite a lot

in everyday life from the friends giving

up a jolly evening to confront a

recently bereaved companion to the child

in the playground sharing their favorite

toy with their little sister this sort

of sacrificial generosity can make not

just the receiver happy but the giver as

well and this is one of those rare

things that

Jesus the Buddha dovi and Aristotle

would all agree on so it's at the very

least worth considering and part of the

reason Brave New World strikes JN as a

dystopia is because the people there are

deprived of having something they can

sacrifice for behind the vague

platitudes about everyone living for

everyone else there are very few

examples of genuine sacrifice in the

world state in practice people simply

pursue pleasure and avoid discomfort if

they are sad they take a sua and if they

feel desire they just go out and achieve

it without a second thought about

anything else there are certainly

strengths in this approach it's better

than a kick in the teeth but it also

seems that we have lost something in the

process one of the clearest examples of

this comes in the relationship between

Jon and lenina Jon is clearly attracted

to lenina as she is to him but he does

not want to consumate this until they

are in a committed bond this makes very

little sense to Lina but to John the

self-denial is the point he is

sacrificing his own short-term pleasure

to show his seriousness about making

lenina his wife lenina may not

understand but to John this is a crucial

part of love he is demonstrating his

willingness for self-sacrifice and this

same urge to sacrifice is embodied in

Helm H halts when he begins to act out

against the world State inserting his

own poetry into his lectures on

propaganda despite it being forbidden

nobody forced him to do this he wants to

sacrifice for his own principles

otherwise how does he know he even has

them it is all well and good us saying

we would suffer for something but until

we truly do our modest martyrdom is Holy

untested Helm Holtz and JN both hold

their categorical desires incredibly

close to their heart additionally some

philosophers like schopenhauer have

argued that our willingness to sacrifice

on behalf of others is the very thing

that marks us out as ethical people the

willingness to give up some of our

pleasure or to feel pain out of

compassion for another person is for him

emblematic of everything a good person

should strive to be but in their wisdom

the controllers have effectively removed

sacrifice if anyone is unhappy then they

just put them in a drug fueled mental

holiday and the Very Act of being

invested enough in another person or an

idea to sacrifice on their behalf is

seen as socially destructive after all

it is everyone belongs to everyone else

and any deeper level of compassion than

the vague Goodwill we feel towards our

fellow humans runs counter to the

maintenance of predictable social order

if someone values something enough to

sacrifice for it then they might even

value it more than the orders that come

from on high but if we take philosophers

like Bernard Williams and along with

some Modern psychologists like Emily

impet seriously then we are forced to

admit that in eliminating sacrifice the

controllers have also killed off a

potentially very fulfilling aspect of

people's lives deeper meaning has been

sacrificed at the altar of shallower

pleasure we never find out how many in

Brave New World feel the same sort of

emptiness as helmholtz or burnard but I

cannot help but think that they must be

more common than the likes of Mustafa

would want to admit there may be such a

thing as empty pleasure and now I want

to tackle this point about pleasure

headon as it truly is the golden thread

that runs through the novel's philosophy

and it touches upon a few of the most

interesting questions in history eight

the right to be unhappy towards the end

of the novel we witness an extended

dialogue between JN and muster Mond on

the nature and value of pleasure we've

been referencing this through the whole

video but now let's dive a little deeper

in order to interrogate the very

foundations of the controller's views on

good governance and what it means to be

a person as I said before the thing that

sets the governments of Brave New World

apart from a lot of other dystopias is

that they're actually quite good natured

they profess that they only want what is

best for the citizens of the world State

and we have no particular reason to

disbelieve them furthermore they work on

largely appealing utilitarian premises

they want to maximize happiness and

minimize pain and this seems perfectly

Noble but the controllers also make a

number of philosophical assumptions that

are quite questionable and we and John

can tar get each one of them the first

is that all pleasures are created equal

implicit in Musta Mon's worldview is

that happiness is linear and based on

quantity so no distinction is made

between different types of pleasure the

difference between ecstasy joy happiness

titillation Som fueled Mania and

fulfillment is essentially glossed over

in favor of a lower resolution worldview

where all of these things are exactly

the same and can be summed together in a

honic calculus and funnily enough this

was also a criticism that early

utilitarianism encountered in its

initial format it only talked about

pleasure and nothing else and was

accused of being far too simplistic so

John Stuart Mill eventually drew a

distinction between the lower Pleasures

like eating drinking and the physical

part of having sex and the higher

Pleasures like companionship love and

Aristotelian style contemplation this is

partly the thrust of John's criticisms

regarding art in prioritizing the

short-term Hedonism of their citizens

the controllers have robbed them of lots

of other kinds of positive feing like

cathis or Compassion or deep-seated

affection but John's critique ultimately

stretches much deeper than this because

what he wants as Mustafa puts it is the

right to be unhappy that is he wants to

feel the full breadth of human

experience and places some value on this

in itself rather than simply Desiring

positive feelings all the time this

reminds me of a paper by Robert Ney who

argues that grief is partly about

establishing the identity of the

deceased after their death in this case

someone might paradoxically feel glad to

be grieving as in doing so they are

honoring their beloved dead Shakespeare

once described the sweet sorrow of

parting from your lover knowing that you

will see them again and full of present

sadness and premeditated Joy the human

mind is not as simple as adding up our

pleasures and subtracting our pains

according to John there is value in the

push and pull of the pleasant and

unpleasant sides of human experience and

if we cut off negativity entirely then

we will be depriving ourselves of the

strange satis action of having lived a

life that was full there are parallels

here with something n said about how

someone can either be open to the highs

and lows of life or neither but you

cannot have one without the other that

is if you are going to fully engage with

the willful and passionate aspects of

your life then sometimes this will take

you to a temporary energetic Ecstasy but

sometimes it will also plunge you into

Misery we can choose to dull both edges

of this passion if we like but for

nature if we are open to one then the

other will surely occur at at some point

ultimately this is an empirical claim

and I will leave it up to you to decide

how well evidenced it is from your own

experiences John also despises the

concept of Soma this drug that can

induce happiness in even the most

melancholic of patients it is unlike

many modern anti-depressant in that it

does not have immediate side effects

only shortening the patient lifespan

slightly in the long term but JN still

sees its happiness as false in some way

in my video on 1984 I mentioned Robert

nok's fantastic thought experiment The

Experience machine this was an imagined

scenario where he would offer to plug us

into a machine that would simulate total

Bliss for our entire lives he will even

sweeten the deal by wiping our memory so

we won't even know it's a simulation his

contention is that most people will

refuse this offer we would rather

experience a true and real mixed bag

than a false and simulated Paradise this

has been used as evidence that there are

some things we humans tend to Value more

than happiness truth being one example

of this but there is another question

raised by this experiment what does it

mean for someone's happiness to be false

a s trip strikes a lot of people as

false happiness because it induces a

dreamlike state where someone's

fantasies play out in front of them but

does that devalue the feeling itself in

some way JN and Bernard contend that it

does but it is an open question take

Linda for instance Jon's traumatized

mother who spends her final days high on

S she was truly miserable and there

seemed to be no way to relieve this

misery should we really expect her to

remain in this world that has done her

so much harm rather than Escape into a

comforting illusion and then there are

other thinkers who talk about our

deep-seated self-destructive drives dovi

thought that if we perceived ourselves

as unfree then it would not matter how

much pleasure we ought to be feeling we

would eventually Rebel wanting to

reclaim a sense of our human dignity

this thought was picked up by later

psychotherapists and given the startling

name death drive a concept which remains

controversial to this day but whether it

is true in general for Jon such a drive

very much exists he would rather be a

suffering Rebel than a happy conformist

and his impulse to self-destruct is

finally fulfilled when he ends his own

life in his isolated Lighthouse the

scars from his self flagellation still

gleaming on his back ultimately Brave

New World challenges a deep-seated

assumption that many of us have that

pleasure is always good and that more

pleasure is always better this may be

true or it may be false and it partly

hinges on where exactly we set the

boundaries of the term pleasure for

Huxley the controllers have made the

concept far too narrow and traded in our

Humanity for a cheap thrill but finally

what is the point of reading a dystopian

fiction book from the 1930s in the 21st

century well I'm glad you asked nine the

warnings of Brave New World As I said at

the beginning of this video Brave New

World is pretty unusual in the genre of

dystopian fiction rather than depicting

outright oppression it instead portrays

a populace too unreflective and filled

with short-term Hedonism that they

cannot see what is potentially wrong

with their society rather than the

brutality of the Pax Romana it is the

gentle distraction of the PanAm ET

kirkenes instead of Maintenance through

military might it is the manufactured

happy consent of the citizenry that

keeps the global government afloat it is

not that they have thought about it and

decided that this is what they want it

is that it has not even occurred to them

to question their situation and this

means Huxley can provide his own unique

brand of warning first at the personal

level it encourages us to put conscious

thought into what matters to us the

citizens of the new world are

deliberately conditioned not to Value

anything more than consumption and

pleasure but we don't have to we can

freely reflect on what fulfillment means

to us and to what extent short-term

pleasure has a role in it beyond that we

can question what Hedonism even means

for our lives do we favor the highs and

lows of a more extreme lifestyle or the

epicurian Delights of a conversation

with friends over some bread and a glass

of wine we will have inherited a

societal idea of what is pleasurable and

Huxley encourages us to interrogate this

viciously secondly at the social level

it is worth reflecting on when pleasure

becomes a tool that is used to distract

us from an issue or question that might

be really important to us thinkers from

the Rowan poet juvenile to macki AI have

warned us that when push comes to shove

rulers may turn to distraction

techniques to sneak through some

unpopular decision or to cover something

up Huxley reminds us that just because

we are having a good time now does not

mean that all is well and that

distraction is no less diverting because

it is Pleasant thirdly at the

philosophical level we can begin to ask

what things are more valuable than

pleasure and how they might factor into

both our ethical system and our

existential philosophy even if you're a

DieHard utilitarian the question of what

exactly pleasure amounts to and its

relationship to pain disappointment

excitement anxiety fear Elation

anticipation and more are very much

relevant

Beyond this asking whether Pleasures can

be empty or whether some Pleasures are

more morally important than others or

whether there are some things like

Freedom or expression or individuality

that are far more important than

pleasure can all get our philosophical

juices flowing again these are all open

questions but they are profoundly

interesting ones and they can help us

gain a more precise understanding into

what is perhaps the most important

philosophical question of all how to

live a good life your answer to these

inquiries will help you decide whether

Brave New World is a flawed Utopia or an

outright Abomination trampling over

everything that is human in the name of

a false mistress because ultimately what

separates Brave New World from its

contemporaries like 1984 is the nagging

question pervading the whole book what

if the controllers were right what if

pleasure is all there is and what if the

sacrifice of art Freedom individuality

change love class Mobility solitude and

more are all worth it provided we can

get our daily hit of happiness and dream

some easy dreams must Fon stands in

front of us a modern mephistophiles with

his hand outstretched but is his bargain

worth it thank you for watching and I

hope you have a wonderful day and if you

want to see a completely different

dystopia then check out this video where

I look at all Wells nightmare

1984 and stick around for more on

thinking to improve your life life