The Incompatibility of Happiness and Truth
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The Incompatibility of Happiness and Truth
In Brave New World, Aldous Huxley portrays a society with predestined social caste, lack of emotional relationships, and willful dissolution found in a hallucinogenic drug.
In the present day World State, ones life long potential is designed and blueprinted into embryos. Social standing and credentials are defined and programmed into set castes. Each caste defined and taught to know and understand a set definition of personal satisfaction and happiness. John the Savage and Mustapha Mond the Controller debate the price at which happiness tolls; the loss of truth. Each individual defending and feeling the loss of a separate truth. John having known the pleasures and pains of human truths. The Controller knowing the loss or lack of truth in knowledge. The personal desire to strive for truths is the basis of what the World State society can not allow in order to maintain happiness.
Personal relations, love and loss, are undefinable, but Johns understanding of Shakespeare helps to portray his relating to illegal and unexceptible feelings. The works of Shakespeare showcase what the World State is trying to eliminate. Finding it difficult to relay intense emotions unknown to World State society, John makes reference to Shakespeare. “Only in Othellos words could he find an adequate vehicle for his contempt and hatred.” (p. 219) Understanding human emotion and experience both positive and negative defines Johns intention to defy the social norm. John Stuart Mill said, “the greatest happiness of the the greatest number would best be achieved by allowing as much freedom of thought and action as possible.” (On Liberty) Questioning authority and promoting rebellion, in the pursuit of happiness. Happiness found and known through emotional experience and undefined personally responsible decision making.
The Controllers debate of truth is personal, in that its a debate in himself. He refers to his work in science in past, and his past desires to achieve and understand. Science is a definable truth. Unable to harmonize with World State society in that it questions what is possible. Huxley executes the idea by stating, “change is a menace to society”. Science is incompatible with stability, and has to be controlled as to not undo what it helps to define. The controller understands the terms of maintaining happiness. Achieved by conditioning unquestioned acceptance of personal satisfaction.
Though Johns ideals for the right