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Quote by Aldous Huxley

“Only the vigilant can maintain their liberties, and only those who are constantly and intelligently on the spot can hope to govern themselves effectively by democratic procedures. A society, most of whose members spend a great part of their time, not on the spot, not here and now and in their calculable future, but somewhere else, in the irrelevant other worlds of sport and soap opera, of mythology and metaphysical fantasy, will find it hard to resist the encroachments of those would manipulate and control it.”

Book:Brave New World Revisited

Work

Brave New World Revisited

This book is a philosophical and sociological examination of Huxley's original novel, Brave New World, published in 1932. It delves into the novel's concepts of a dystopian society, genetic engineering, and the role of technology in shaping human behavior. The author revisits the themes and examines their relevance to contemporary society. more

Author

Aldous Huxley

Aldous Huxley was an English writer and philosopher, renowned for his dystopian novel 'Brave New World'. Born on July 26, 1894, in Godalming, Surrey, England, he was the younger brother of the poet and critic Leonard Huxley. Huxley's works frequently delved into the interplay of science, politics, and philosophy, and he was a prominent figure in the literary movement known as the 'Lost Generation'. He passed away on November 22, 1963. more

“Some hoped, watching Desiree hold the hand of the little dark girl, that the two wouldn't even stay that long. They weren't used to having a dark child amongst them and were surprised by how much it upset them. Each time that girl passed by, no hat or nothing, they were as galled as when Thomas Richard returned from the war, half a leg lighter, and walked around town with one pant leg pinned back to that everyone could see his loss. If nothing could be done about ugliness, you ought to at least look like you were trying to hide it.”

Society Prejudice Vanity Social Expectations

Book:The Vanishing Half

Source: The Vanishing Half

“A! E alta forma, o forma care, din punct de vedere estetic, nu este prea frumoasa! N-am sa inteleg niciodata de ce a arunca in oameni cu bombe, a-i omori in asediu reglementar este o forma mai respectabila? Teama de estetica este primul indiciu al neputintei!... Niciodata, niciodata n-am simtit-o mai bine ca acum, si inteleg mai putin ca oricand care este crima mea! Niciodata, niciodata n-am fost mai puternic si mai convins ca acum! [...] Ar fi interesant de stiut daca in cei 15-20 de ani care vor urma sufletul meu se va potoli intr-atat incat sa scancesc smerit in fata oamenilor, numindu-ma, cand trebuie si cand nu trebuie, talhar? Da, da, intocmai! Pentru asta ma trimit ei la ocna, de asta au ei nevoie... Uite-i cum misuna pe strada incolo si incoace, si fiecare din ei este din firea lui un ticalos si un talhar; mai rau inca: este un idiot! Dar sa incerce numai sa nu ma trimita la ocna si ei toti au sa turbeze de nobila indignare! O, cat ii urasc pe toti! Care este procesul care il va face pe el sa se supuna tuturora, fara sa mai stea sa judece, sa se supuna convins ca asa trebuie sa fie? De ce nu? Fireste, asa trebuie sa se intample! Oare 20 de ani de apasare necontenita nu-l vor frange definitiv? Apa sapa pietrele. Pentru ce, pentru ce atunci sa mai traiesc, pentru ce ma duc, daca stiu ca toate se vor intampla intocmai ca in carte si nu altfel?!" De ieri isi punea poate pentru a suta oara aceasta intrebare si totusi mergea inainte.”

Society Morality

Book:Crime and Punishment

Source: Crime and Punishment

“Every program tunnels into possibility. A frog tries to cross a busy street. An ape defends himself with barrel bombs. Under those ridiculous, blocky skins, creatures from another dimension pour into Neelay's world. And there's only the narrowest window of time in which to really see them, before these things that never were turn into things that have always been. In a few years, a kid like him will be given cognitive behavioral therapy for his Asperger's and SSRIs to smooth out his awkward human interactions. But he knows something certain, before almost anyone else: People are in for it. Once, the fate of the human race might have been in the hands of the well adjusted, the social ones, the masters of emotion. Now all that is getting upgraded.”

Technology Power Society

Book:The Overstory

Source: The Overstory