Sunday, November 14, 2010

Brave New World

This classic book Brave New World by Aldous Huxley was originally published in 1932. The edition I've just read was published in 2007 with interesting introductions and an "update" by Huxley dated 1946. The story is set in a future where babies are "manufactured" in accordance with the work they will do in their society, a caste system. The embryos have additives inserted to determine how advanced their brains and physique will be. The highest caste, the Alphas, will lead a relatively "normal" life with every indulgence to keep them happy. The lowest, the Epsilons, will do the most menial jobs and be happy in that role. Those who question the way the society functions (and it is only the higher castes who have the brain power to do that) can be exiled to maintain the status quo. There are places, reservations, where humans live in a "native" or "savage" state. What happens when one of these "savages" is brought into the "real world"? A culture shock. Very interesting and thought provoking. 41/2/5

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