Brave New World Revisited
- Downloads：4666
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-07-17 09:55:16
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Aldous Huxley
- ISBN：0099458233
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
An earlier/alternative cover version of this book， with the same ISBN， can be found here。
In Brave New World Revisited Huxley checks the progress of his prophecies in his seminal novel Brave New World thirty years after it was first published。 Covering issues such as overpopulation， propaganda， the art of selling and brainwashing as well as drugs and political control Huxley gives prescient warnings to the reader。 A vigorous， astute analysis of the nature of power and authority in modern society， Brave New World Revisited is an urgent and powerful appeal for the defence of individualism。
In Brave New World Revisited Huxley checks the progress of his prophecies in his seminal novel Brave New World thirty years after it was first published。 Covering issues such as overpopulation， propaganda， the art of selling and brainwashing as well as drugs and political control Huxley gives prescient warnings to the reader。 A vigorous， astute analysis of the nature of power and authority in modern society， Brave New World Revisited is an urgent and powerful appeal for the defence of individualism。
Reviews
Alejandro Araque García
，
A really current vision of the World， as well as his first visit。 However， I think he has deep influence of Malthusianism and it is a great mistake。 Everything alright （though it’s scary how right he was and he is now） but the overpopulation basis is wrong…there are many people starving and many others with weight problems…it doesn’t match…or it does
Albie Fasseau
，
Excellent and really makes you think but has a couple of dodgy ideas here and there。
Kristina Pasko
，
Not my favorite distopian vision。 Did we need Bernard at all？ I would have preferred more John Savage。
Ramiro Viñan Vega
，
A world built on the principle of industry and efficiency。 There is richness of description and metaphors through the whole book， although the plot tends to get lost in the in depth description of the dystopia。
Katherine Jones
，
I know， I was rather vigorously disturbed by "1984。" I found this dystopian novel 。。。 compelling。 It actually makes "1984" a better book for me， somehow。 These novels start from the same premise - the ruling caste cannot be trusted。 Well， of course they can't be trusted。 How they will work to use and control the rest of us is the question。 The "1984" method frightens me much more deeply。 The brutality is too stark， and feels too imminent， given current American politics。 By comparison， Huxley's I know， I was rather vigorously disturbed by "1984。" I found this dystopian novel 。。。 compelling。 It actually makes "1984" a better book for me， somehow。 These novels start from the same premise - the ruling caste cannot be trusted。 Well， of course they can't be trusted。 How they will work to use and control the rest of us is the question。 The "1984" method frightens me much more deeply。 The brutality is too stark， and feels too imminent， given current American politics。 By comparison， Huxley's vision is downright caring and gentle。 Which does not mean that it is not also deeply frightening。 But it lies in a way to console us the the ruling caste is really just securing our human rights 。。。 in order to calm us down so they can use us without our noticing it。 Granted， this effort is conceived by a very twisted insanity。 But we could be lulled into complacency if we don't watch out。 Maybe we almost have been？At any rate， remember these were written by white men。 The overt racism and sexism diminishes the writing。 I wish I would quit being shocked by the racism。 I'm working on it。 Better writers now and in the future should as well。 。。。more
Su Gomes
，
A edição que li não foi esta。 Não a encontro por aqui。No entanto a leitura deste livro ajudou-me a entender o Admirável Mundo Novo。Como muitas pessoas pensam， também achei que fosse a continuação do mesmo。Mas não é。 Entendi o Regresso ao Admirável Mundo Novo como se fosse uma tese do autor do seu anterior livro。 Gostei e recomendo。
Grant
，
Really solid book， I liked the narrative and really enjoyed reading about the overall world built by Huxley。 Similarly to 1984， I believe a lot of people miss out on this book because they try so hard applying it to the world we see today。
Alice
，
I actually enjoyed this book more than Brave New World。 Considering it was published in 1958， it is really prophetic！ The book addresses several issues that are even more relevant today， such as overpopulation， use of natural resources， drug use， and the act of brainwashing。 At times it reads like a popular science book in that it references and explores many psychology studies。
Hannah Castillo fajardo
，
Very interesting mix of POV in the "what could humanity become" theme。 The way the book starts was very uncomfortable to me， which only increase my inteset in where the author will go with the story。 Great book， the beginning can be slow and strange， but it picks up quickly。 Very interesting mix of POV in the "what could humanity become" theme。 The way the book starts was very uncomfortable to me， which only increase my inteset in where the author will go with the story。 Great book， the beginning can be slow and strange， but it picks up quickly。 。。。more
Luís Santos
，
"Resta ainda no mundo alguma liberdade。 É verdade que muitos não parecem valorizá-la。 Mas alguns de nós ainda acreditam que， sem a liberdade， os seres humanos não se podem tornar plenamente humanos e que， por conseguinte， a liberdade tem um valor supremo。 Talvez as forças que agora a ameaçam sejam demasiado poderosas para que se lhes possa resistir durante muito tempo， mas temos o dever de fazer tudo o que pudermos para as contrariar。" "Resta ainda no mundo alguma liberdade。 É verdade que muitos não parecem valorizá-la。 Mas alguns de nós ainda acreditam que， sem a liberdade， os seres humanos não se podem tornar plenamente humanos e que， por conseguinte， a liberdade tem um valor supremo。 Talvez as forças que agora a ameaçam sejam demasiado poderosas para que se lhes possa resistir durante muito tempo， mas temos o dever de fazer tudo o que pudermos para as contrariar。" 。。。more
Nathan Fisk
，
In the age of social media and instant gratification， this book takes on an almost prophetic light。
Dee Rogers
，
Interesting look at the tech/processes that would be involved in instituting Huxley's vision of a future much like he depicted in BNW。 Interesting look at the tech/processes that would be involved in instituting Huxley's vision of a future much like he depicted in BNW。 。。。more
Max Mason
，
How does one oppose a tyranny that provides all your wants and needs， and makes you happy？ Does it matter if truth is an illusion， so long as it makes us feel good？ A terrifying look at a world of hedonistic madness。
Forked Radish
，
More timely now than ever， for overpopulation， unlike the propaganda of global warming*， is the one true threat to this planet。 Note: In BNWR， first published in 1958， Aldous Huxley predicted a word population of 5，500，000，000 in 2000 the actual population was an estimated 6，063，333，800。 The current population is estimated at 7，900，000，000。 The prediction for the year 3000 is ~85，000，000，000， but I think that amore realistic number is ~500，000，000，000。 Which means ~64 people for every one today。 More timely now than ever， for overpopulation， unlike the propaganda of global warming*， is the one true threat to this planet。 Note: In BNWR， first published in 1958， Aldous Huxley predicted a word population of 5，500，000，000 in 2000 the actual population was an estimated 6，063，333，800。 The current population is estimated at 7，900，000，000。 The prediction for the year 3000 is ~85，000，000，000， but I think that amore realistic number is ~500，000，000，000。 Which means ~64 people for every one today。 Parks and designated wilderness areas will be a thing of the past as politicians will appeal to the masses with promises of free land。*CO2 levels are stable at ~0。035% with higher figures only coming from the detectors on Mt。 Kilauea which is an active volcano and an emitter of CO2。 Additionally， increases in global temperatures fully correspond with increased sunspot activity and are identical to the temperature increase observed on Mars。 Independent verification aka proof of the natural origin of global warming and an absolute refutation to the anthropogenic origin theory。 。。。more
Dody Eid
，
It is remarkable how an author’s analysis of his own work can be so divergent from the reader’s。 In Brave New World Revisited， Aldous Huxley diagnoses society’s illnesses （overpopulation and over-organization）， explains their freedom-crippling effects （propaganda， brainwashing， mass-manipulation）， and suggests some vague remedies （education！ Birth control！）。These are， for the most part， not the first things that come to mind after reading Brave New World and looking around at our culture today。 It is remarkable how an author’s analysis of his own work can be so divergent from the reader’s。 In Brave New World Revisited， Aldous Huxley diagnoses society’s illnesses （overpopulation and over-organization）， explains their freedom-crippling effects （propaganda， brainwashing， mass-manipulation）， and suggests some vague remedies （education！ Birth control！）。These are， for the most part， not the first things that come to mind after reading Brave New World and looking around at our culture today。 Take sex。 In Brave New World， sex is cheapened as a means - not an end - to serve the immediate pleasure of the citizenry， with no regard for the full humanity of those who partake in it。 Partners come and go。 In fact， it is even frowned upon to have any sort of commitment whatsoever。 It’s all in an effort to make society more “open” and make sex less “taboo。” What it has done in our own society， of course， is just the opposite : everyone is dehumanized， cheapened， and confused as the porn industry， sex-trafficking， out of wedlock birth， divorce， and， yes， selfishness grow out of control。 Surely， a family society cannot coexist with such a negligent attitude toward the genesis of families。 That’s why they’re abolished in Brave New World， and soon enough we’ll arrive at that point， not under any coercion， but by our own free choices。 Huxley’s portrayal of sex in his dystopia has been prophetic。 Yet， there is little to no discussion of this in his analysis。 I could write similar thoughts on a number of subjects - faith， friendships， and family， for example - that Huxley seems to ignore from his very own work！ Granted， at the time of his writing， the issues of broken families， a sex-crazed （and ironically sex-devaluing） culture， loss of faith， cheapening of friendship， and so on， were probably nowhere near the levels they are today。 It is ironic， though， that one of his remedies to overpopulation （birth control， I said it！） is in all likelihood one big contributor to the cheapening of sex as a means， not an end in itself。Huxley’s entire thesis rests on overpopulation。 Overpopulation leads to authoritarianism leads to loss of freedom， so he claims。 Those less developed nations are out of control with their reproduction。 How dare they stink up our earth。 And who will feed them？ There isn’t enough food to go around。 I won’t go into it here， but this is one area where Huxley’s predictions not only reek of racism at times but have also proven to be flat out false。 These same trite arguments have been touted before （Malthus in the early 19th century being the obvious case）， all to no avail。 Food has not run out， but rather grown to unthinkable proportions as a result of human ingenuity。 Cities are actually far cleaner than the suburbs （see Glaeser’s work on cities！）。 And resources predicted to run out have continued and even grown。 The economic principles as to why Malthus’ （and Huxley’s） predictions have fallen flat is straightforward。 Any shortage induces prices to rise， which incentivizes further exploration and creativity。 As humans explore and create more， we produce at a level previously unimaginable。 Overpopulation is both a myth and， in it’s more pernicious form， an excuse to be anti-human and anti-family。 Again， it shocks me Huxley is touting the very idea that leads to the kind of society he depicts in Brave New World: a society that is anti-human at its core and that seeks to control reproduction artificially in the name of some greater good。If you’ve read this far and sat through my crazy rantings ， congratulations。 My advice: read his fiction， but avoid his analysis。 After finishing Brave New World， look around at our modern culture， and you’ll have done all the analysis needed。 If you’re really curious， Huxley’s arguments are as good as they appear in the table ofcontents。 Just reading that will give you the gist of this let down。 。。。more
Abby Medina
，
This book was written from a strange perspective but overall an interesting universe and i felt my brain questioning society and myself。 How our perspective shapes our experience and how we are raised shapes our experience as well。 Good read but definitely very very slow start and rapid end that made it difficult to finish the book but im glad i did :）
Maria Alonso
，
“One believes things because one has been conditioned to believe them” Although Huxley’s novel is set in the future， it is still relevant in present times。 In fact， I was appalled by how many of the aspects described in the novel can be compared to today’s society。 For instance， in the novel people are conditioned since they are born to believe certain things and behave a certain way so as to maintain order。 This happens in the present days， and I believe it has always happened， imposing beliefs “One believes things because one has been conditioned to believe them” Although Huxley’s novel is set in the future， it is still relevant in present times。 In fact， I was appalled by how many of the aspects described in the novel can be compared to today’s society。 For instance， in the novel people are conditioned since they are born to believe certain things and behave a certain way so as to maintain order。 This happens in the present days， and I believe it has always happened， imposing beliefs on people from a very young age - what is allowed and what is not， how they should behave， what they should say - to avoid bad actions or to inculcate a type of morality。Another thing I noticed in the novel was the lack of connection。 The characters have meaningless relationships， they don’t really care about others。 And it saddens me to see how true this is in today’s society。 We live in a selfish world; we are self-centered， careless， indifferent to others。 And from the lack of connection comes the feeling of emptiness。 Just like in the novel the characters try to dissipate the pain by taking “soma”， we try to dissipate it by making use of drugs and alcohol。 Other activity we engage in to fill that void is consumerism， which also happens in Brave New World。 “The more stitches the less riches”。 Every time an item is broken or ripped off， instead of fixing it they easily throw it away and buy new stuff。 I can’t tell if this is a utopian or dystopian society。 I think it’s both。 Overall， I enjoyed this novel， kind of hard to read though， but it is well written and the message Huxley is trying to convey I think it’s clear。 。。。more
Jessy FR
，
Una interesante manera de recordar el impacto que tuvo Brave New World en la cultura， cuales fueron sus influencias y la manera en la que se creía antes y un poco después el como se vería la política， sociedad， manipulación， etc en el futuro y ya en nuestra época poder reflexionar sobre como esto ha evolucionando。 Interesante ver tratar temas de psicología， conducta， manipulación etc que he estudiado además de ciertos aspectos como la democracia， libertad， consumo， valores， sobrepoblación， ética Una interesante manera de recordar el impacto que tuvo Brave New World en la cultura， cuales fueron sus influencias y la manera en la que se creía antes y un poco después el como se vería la política， sociedad， manipulación， etc en el futuro y ya en nuestra época poder reflexionar sobre como esto ha evolucionando。 Interesante ver tratar temas de psicología， conducta， manipulación etc que he estudiado además de ciertos aspectos como la democracia， libertad， consumo， valores， sobrepoblación， ética biológica， consumo de sustancias， entre otros que como se mencionan ponen en riesgo nuestra libertad， inteligencia y amor。 。。。more
Luciano Defilippe
，
Fantastico para conocer el insospechado pensamiento Liberal/Libertario del increible Aldous Huxley。 Este autor se revela aquí como un gran profeta de los problemas que nos azotan aún hoy en día， y amenazan por todos los frentes con destruir la libertad de cada individuo， a base de desinformación， satisfacción de las necesidades más comunes， y entretenimiento。 Excelente obra。
Sachi chaoticreadinggurl
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 O regresso ao admirável mundo novo é um conjunto de reflexões sobre o seu livro e contextualiza-o na necessidade de agir， antes que um maremoto de opressão assole o mundo， subjugando toda a população。Assim， vou expor algumas ideias que achei relevantes de serem refletidas， acabando por concordar com elas:Huxley acusa a sobrepopulação como um dos fatores para propensão a regimes fascistas， pelo mundo。 Este aumento descontrolado， em que se controla a morte， mas se descontrolou a natalidade， causou O regresso ao admirável mundo novo é um conjunto de reflexões sobre o seu livro e contextualiza-o na necessidade de agir， antes que um maremoto de opressão assole o mundo， subjugando toda a população。Assim， vou expor algumas ideias que achei relevantes de serem refletidas， acabando por concordar com elas:Huxley acusa a sobrepopulação como um dos fatores para propensão a regimes fascistas， pelo mundo。 Este aumento descontrolado， em que se controla a morte， mas se descontrolou a natalidade， causou claros problemas humanitários。 A escassez de recursos humanos e instabilidade geral geraram-se naturalmente， fomentando uma economia precária。 Todas estas condicionantes geram insegurança económica e agitação social， abrindo vaga para governos opressores， como temos visto atualmente。 A qualidade genética， devido à menor mortalidade， tem decaído， vendo-nos repletos de gente com Q。I。 bastante inferior， pois a seleção natural já não os leva， expondo-nos novamente ao perigo dos governos autoritários。Outro aspeto contributo para a ascensão de autoritarismo é o menor cuidado com a saúde mental， que leva para menor segurança， tornando a população mais infeliz， fiando-se em regimes autoritários para a solução dos problemas económicos e sociais。 Estas ideias que ressalvei adequaram-se， quase instantaneamente， ao nosso dia a dia， em que assistimos ao degradar da democracia， por termos uma sociedade pouco educada para a liberdade。。Acho uma leitura extremamente interessante， embora há várias ideias que colapsam com a minha forma de pensar e têm que ser lidas com o valor daquilo que são realmente， opiniões。 Como bem sabem， a escrita do autor não é fluida， então， toma mais algum tempo， nomeadamente， pelo género， sendo um livro não ficção。 。。。more
Jo Vola
，
The last two chapters could have been an amazing long essay about society。 I did not like the prose enough。 3。5 rather than 4。
S K Z
，
Some of the discussion missed the mark， but the book also contains some good insights。
Emanuele
，
Interessante， fa riflettere。
Marco
，
“Alas， higher education is not necessarily a guarantee of higher virtue， or higher political wisdom。”“The survival of democracy depends on the ability of large numbers of people to make realistic choices in the light of adequate information。”
Sonia
，
I didn't know these essays even existed。 Quite impressive， for an analysis made in 1958 that is an incredibly accurate perception amd analysis of where the world was headed and where we are today。 I didn't know these essays even existed。 Quite impressive， for an analysis made in 1958 that is an incredibly accurate perception amd analysis of where the world was headed and where we are today。 。。。more
Jason
，
I could never find myself immersed in his books the same way I could with Orwell。 I'm not sure what it is about Huxley's writing--perhaps it was all the mescaline？--but it never connects with me on the same personal level。 I realize that both authors have vastly different visions of the future， but I'd read Orwell's 1984 over Brave New World any day。 It's a cold， disjointed adventure into a dystopian future that never seems to pull you into its world。 I could never find myself immersed in his books the same way I could with Orwell。 I'm not sure what it is about Huxley's writing--perhaps it was all the mescaline？--but it never connects with me on the same personal level。 I realize that both authors have vastly different visions of the future， but I'd read Orwell's 1984 over Brave New World any day。 It's a cold， disjointed adventure into a dystopian future that never seems to pull you into its world。 。。。more
Erika
，
Another reminder of how prescient Huxley was。
Suri
，
I did not finish finish but I got the gist。 Lord， this took a while。
Betty Mora Vega
，
Infinitely better than Brave New Word and in same measure scary。Some may said the author was a little paranoid in this one （myself included） but hell。 Huxley was a mastermind and it’s a shame he’s no longer alive to provide us with commentary of the world we live in today。 This was poignant， smart and thought provoking。 A must read in my opinion。
Verónica Borrego
，