Analysis of Aldous Huxley's A Brave New World

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Recommended: The case of utilitarianism

As the story begins, Savage is attempting to free the Deltas by freeing them of their drug addiction. To Savage freedom includes the ability to make rational decisions but the Deltas have no ability to rationalize due to their genetic make-up. As Savage is throwing a way the drugs one of his friends, an Alpha who is capable of reason, approaches him but is stopped by reason. Reason prevents him from helping his friend due to indecision and the inability to calculate the action that will create the best outcome. The angry mob of Deltas are subdued with drugs and anger is replaced with happiness. This example demonstrates that without knowing the consequences of one's action, the original action cannot take place. Members of Huxley's Utopian society have been conditioned to believe in an exaggerated utilitarian ethic. Savage is taken to see The Controller who explains why Utopia has no practical use for the goods of a high culture. Art, science, and religion are not as important as simple pleasure when the end goal is happiness. The Controller has found a perfect recipe for happiness and he argues that the elimination of objective truths and aesthetic beauty were necessary to achieve a quiet peaceful life for everyone. Only, the Alphas have the ability to reason and if it is discovered that they are against the utilitarian regime they are immediately removed from society, to eliminate any possibility of social unrest. (Huxley).

An argument in support of utilitarianism follows the three basic propositions of utilitarianism which are: "(a) Actions are to be judged... by virtue of their consequences ... (b) consequences... [are based on] the amount of happiness or unhappiness created ... (c) each person's happiness counts the same" (R...

... middle of paper ...

...or his duty.

The blatant disregard for objective truth, science, religion, art, and other higher pleasures in Huxley's Utopia simplify Utilitarianism into a caricature at best. The main support offered for the validity of utilitarianism is presented through hedonism. Interestingly Huxley brings up the issue of the value of unhappiness when Helmholtz requests a "thoroughly bad climate" because he will attain a higher pleasure, creativity, while experiencing externally bad conditions. Therefore, I am under the impression that cwould reply that his story of a Brave New World was written to point out how utilitarianism can erode freedom of thought and the ability of science to discover new truths.

Works Cited

Rachels, James and Rachels, Stuart. The Elements of Moral Philosophy, Fifth Edition, New York: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 2007. PP 68-88,141-159

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