Humanity In Brave New World

Frederick Lewis Donaldson once said that one of “The Seven Social Sins” is “Science without Humanity.” Science, by it’s very nature, can be immoral due to its need for objectiveness. Objectiveness that can make people overlook their humanity, an essential element in allowing individuals to have the ability to live moral lives. In Aldous Huxley's, Brave New World, science's negative effect on individuals is the main theme because science replaces the family unit, takes the place of religion, and controls human emotions. First of all, the advancement of science replaces the family unit in a negative aspect through the artificial production of human beings and the conditioning of children at a young age. In this futuristic utopia, children are
Parenting is an essential element in any society. “…parenting enables the children to perform better and actively take part in their school activities thus increasing the chances of success...” (Inam 60). With parenting, children stretch the boundaries of their roles in society and strive to succeed. In the utopian society, parenting is nonexistent. This leads to the people’s satisfaction of the predestined roles that are given to them. After being “birthed”, children undergo behavioral conditioning and hypnopaedia (sleep teaching) in order to further predestine their future occupations. One example of this conditioning is the process when infants learn that books and flowers are to be seen as negative objects. “Books and loud noises, flowers and electric shocks—already in the infant mind these couples were compromisingly linked; and after two hundred repetitions of the same or a similar lesson would be wedded indissolubly” (Huxley 21). Instead of being taught in a loving way by parents, infants are harmed in order to create instinctive feelings about certain objects. These instinctive feelings control how far certain people can succeed in life. The society also condemns the idea of having parents. In fact, the idea of fathers and mothers is used discretely. “This awareness, manifests itself in Lenina Crowe’s distaste for the ‘indecent’ spectacle of ‘two women giving the breast to their
The main idea of Brave New World is to show the effect of science on the individual. “Brave New World depicts a society shaped by science and technology” (Nance). A society that would heavily influence the individuals. This is what Huxley is trying to show throughout the book. Individuals in the utopia are affected by behavioral conditioning, genetic engineering, and manipulative drugs. All of these which are made possible by the advancement of science. In a way, Huxley is trying to warn his readers of the dangers of advancing science. “Huxley once suggested that the theme of the novel is 'not the advancement of science such; it is the advancement of science as it affects human individuals'" (Firchow 80). Huxley was very clear when commenting on his book that it was not just about science, but how science affects