The 2 Minute Book Review: excerpt from the book, my thoughts, and one practical life application.
Brave New World By Aldous Huxley
2 minute read · By Warren Wong
Brave New World By Aldous Huxley
Excerpt from the book:
“The world’s stable now. People are happy; they get what they want, and they never want what they can’t get. They’re well-off; they’re safe; they’re new ill; they’re not afraid of death; they’re blissfully ignorant of passion; they’re plagued with no mothers or fathers; they’ve got no wives, or children, or lovers to feel strongly about; they’re so conditioned that they practically can’t help behaving as they ought to behave.” – Aldous Huxley
In a world that’s increasingly complex, we lose sight of what’s uniquely human.
Pain, grief, joy, bliss, regret are all part of what makes us human. Are we moving towards a world that is too good, too nice, and too easy?
My thoughts:
A crazy parallel to the boom of technology and the role it has in our lives. Perhaps more so in the 21st century.
We see companies hit trillion dollar evaluations and devices that we can’t live without. Perhaps Huxley’s “dystopian” world is closer than we think.
Points I loved:
- A continual search for what is human. What emotions that make us who we are.
- Can we only accept the good without the bad? If there is only good, how will we know what is “bad”?
- Science has done magnificent things for our mankind, but it is not without fault. As we are reaching new frontiers, we must ask questions. Is this good for us, what are the potential harms?
- The author draws scary parallels with the future in such a detailed and raw manner. Keeping in mind he completed this work in the 1930s, it is so applicable to this day.
This book will open your mind.
Practical life application:
Every generation will encounter new and exciting technologies, but we must be ever more aware of how it affects our daily lives and consciousness.
Buy The Book: Brave New World
Note: For the sake of brevity, I am not doing the book justice. I am only giving you a small glimpse of the book. So please get the book and read it for yourself.
Check out my recommended books section where I picked out my favorite books by year and all time favorites.