Paperback, 229 pages
English language
Published Dec. 6, 2007 by Vintage.
Brave New World is a dystopian novel by English author Aldous Huxley, written in 1931 and published in 1932. Largely set in a futuristic World State, inhabited by genetically modified citizens and an intelligence-based social hierarchy, the novel anticipates huge scientific advancements in reproductive technology, sleep-learning, psychological manipulation and classical conditioning that are combined to make a dystopian society which is challenged by only a single individual: the story's protagonist.
This is one of the most clever books I've ever read. Full of insights, is a thrilling story and, at the same time, a trigger for a lot of further questions and a key to understand our present times. What puzzles me the most is that it was written almost a century ago !
Content warning Spoilerrr
Imagina un futuro donde todos son felices... porque no les queda otra. En Un mundo feliz, la sociedad funciona como una máquina bien engrasada: los bebés se fabrican en laboratorios, las emociones se controlan con pastillas (el famoso soma), y el amor, el arte y el sufrimiento son conceptos obsoletos. Todo está diseñado para la estabilidad, incluso a costa de la libertad. Huxley nos clava un espejo incómodo: ¿preferirías una vida sin dolor pero también sin significado, o el caos de sentir, equivocarte y ser humano? El libro, escrito en 1932, sigue dando yuyu porque plantea preguntas que hoy resuenan más que nunca: ¿hasta dónde llegamos por comodidad? ¿Qué sacrificamos por no pensar?
I really enjoyed reading this book, the style of writing is such a delight. For example when everything starts speeding up, different scenes intertwined with each other, but in a way that you can still keep up with what is happening where.
The philosophical discussion towards the end was especially interesting. I don't think that anyone could ever be happy like that (even if conditioned).
As Mark Deck (TheClick) put it so nicely: Happiness is a progress.
Happiness [isn't] achieved and everlasting. Happiness [...] requires constant investment. It's like the curve of how life is currently tilting [...], do I feel like things are going in the right direction, am I improving myself [...]? [...] when you achieve a goal you will just look towards the next goal after that. There's always a thing after, so it's more about the journey as a whole [...] rather than the specific singular …
I really enjoyed reading this book, the style of writing is such a delight. For example when everything starts speeding up, different scenes intertwined with each other, but in a way that you can still keep up with what is happening where.
The philosophical discussion towards the end was especially interesting. I don't think that anyone could ever be happy like that (even if conditioned).
As Mark Deck (TheClick) put it so nicely: Happiness is a progress.
Happiness [isn't] achieved and everlasting. Happiness [...] requires constant investment. It's like the curve of how life is currently tilting [...], do I feel like things are going in the right direction, am I improving myself [...]? [...] when you achieve a goal you will just look towards the next goal after that. There's always a thing after, so it's more about the journey as a whole [...] rather than the specific singular achievement.
Or as Mark Manson put it:
Happiness comes from solving problems. The keyword here is "solving." If you're avoiding your problems or feel like you don't have any problems, then you're going to make yourself miserable. [...] To be happy we need something to solve. Happiness is therefore a form of action; it's an activity.
The people in Brave New World don't have anything to solve, no ambitions, no passion... how could they ever be happy?
Pues me ha encantado, aunque no me gusta una sociedad como la que se plantea.
