Kudos for being first to post, Thomas. I don't want to set up a "hamster, lever, food pellet" situation here where I reward every little thing with bonus points, but bonus points for going first. That takes guts, so *DING!* Bonus.
Can I push your thinking a little? What do you mean by "better"? "Better" in what ways? I like the idea of setting aside 15-16 years of very specific cultural conditioning to try and imagine something else...but what do you mean when you ask for "better"?
The attempts made by the creators and rulers of the society in Brave New World to improve the world were unsuccessful. Although society as a whole functioned due to the fact that the different classes of "people" performed their duties as they were supposed to do, they were no longer people. The were devoid of emmotions and personalieties, making them machines simply designed to perform tasks for the greater good, but not to pursuit their own passions or interests because they didn't have any. Their "New World" was not a world full of diverse people, but a factory system full of machines, controlled and conditioned by the elite of society. This is not a better world, nor is it a world I would like to live in.
I do not think that this is a better world, however it does have some upsides to it. While people are programmed and have no personality or individuality, there are no wars. People are not allowed to stray from their programmed personalities so they there for cannot rebel against the government. Also, with the advances in science they have made there is no disease, simply health and control. People are happy in their confinement, and while they are not necessarily "free" they are pushing the "freedom in confinement" to the max. I do not think this is a "better" society, nor is it a worse. It is simply its own. It has its ups and downs, as does our society and our government. No government is perfect, but if the majority of the people are happy with their way of life then they should keep it. Why try and change something because we think that ours is better? If it works for them, it works. Their government has its advantages and so does ours-it all depends on what you prefer.
As a functioning society, it is better and more advanced, however as Kirsten states that the people are akin to machines, what opinion is there on how satisfying or better it is? It is preprogrammed and defeats the purpose of 'becoming better' by eliminating independent opinion and in turn, society becomes a large, intricate machine. Who's to say it's truly better, if one was programmed to say so?
When reading this book, the phrase, "Ignorance is bliss" comes to mind. I agree with you, Kirsten. However, this society seems not to know the difference between brainwashed and free-will. Since we know what it’s like to have our own minds and control over our own future, we are looking at this book through a biased perspective. The people in this book are unaware that there is a possible alternative, and that society can function effectively (albeit with flaws such as war, hunger, and extreme poverty) with emotions, families and diverse personalities. If we lived in the society presented in Brave New World, wouldn’t be oblivious the difference? Furthermore, if we DID know the difference, wouldn’t the idea of world peace, widespread health and overall (apparent) happiness be tempting? Part of me would say that nothing is worth losing my individuality, while another part is seeing how effective this society could be without all of the unnecessary suffering and death that our world has today.
Kudos for being first to post, Thomas. I don't want to set up a "hamster, lever, food pellet" situation here where I reward every little thing with bonus points, but bonus points for going first. That takes guts, so *DING!* Bonus.
ReplyDeleteCan I push your thinking a little? What do you mean by "better"? "Better" in what ways? I like the idea of setting aside 15-16 years of very specific cultural conditioning to try and imagine something else...but what do you mean when you ask for "better"?
--AFletcher
The attempts made by the creators and rulers of the society in Brave New World to improve the world were unsuccessful. Although society as a whole functioned due to the fact that the different classes of "people" performed their duties as they were supposed to do, they were no longer people. The were devoid of emmotions and personalieties, making them machines simply designed to perform tasks for the greater good, but not to pursuit their own passions or interests because they didn't have any. Their "New World" was not a world full of diverse people, but a factory system full of machines, controlled and conditioned by the elite of society. This is not a better world, nor is it a world I would like to live in.
ReplyDeleteI do not think that this is a better world, however it does have some upsides to it. While people are programmed and have no personality or individuality, there are no wars. People are not allowed to stray from their programmed personalities so they there for cannot rebel against the government. Also, with the advances in science they have made there is no disease, simply health and control. People are happy in their confinement, and while they are not necessarily "free" they are pushing the "freedom in confinement" to the max. I do not think this is a "better" society, nor is it a worse. It is simply its own. It has its ups and downs, as does our society and our government. No government is perfect, but if the majority of the people are happy with their way of life then they should keep it. Why try and change something because we think that ours is better? If it works for them, it works. Their government has its advantages and so does ours-it all depends on what you prefer.
ReplyDeleteAs a functioning society, it is better and more advanced, however as Kirsten states that the people are akin to machines, what opinion is there on how satisfying or better it is? It is preprogrammed and defeats the purpose of 'becoming better' by eliminating independent opinion and in turn, society becomes a large, intricate machine. Who's to say it's truly better, if one was programmed to say so?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWhen reading this book, the phrase, "Ignorance is bliss" comes to mind. I agree with you, Kirsten. However, this society seems not to know the difference between brainwashed and free-will. Since we know what it’s like to have our own minds and control over our own future, we are looking at this book through a biased perspective. The people in this book are unaware that there is a possible alternative, and that society can function effectively (albeit with flaws such as war, hunger, and extreme poverty) with emotions, families and diverse personalities. If we lived in the society presented in Brave New World, wouldn’t be oblivious the difference? Furthermore, if we DID know the difference, wouldn’t the idea of world peace, widespread health and overall (apparent) happiness be tempting? Part of me would say that nothing is worth losing my individuality, while another part is seeing how effective this society could be without all of the unnecessary suffering and death that our world has today.
ReplyDelete