Love, Politics, and Ethics in Huxley’s Brave New World

Possibilities for debate are countless in a book as congested with controversial ideas as Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. Huxley himself, however, arrives at a definitive conclusion in the novel, thereby settling in advance any prospective disagreements. In particular, Huxley effectively paints a picture of what various ideas might be in a futuristic society and then decisively contrasts them with the same aspects in present-day lifestyle. This comparison is visualized when the novel’s story line thrusts one man versed in traditional ways (a "savage" from a New Mexican Indian reservation) into this strange, new civilization. Concepts of love, ethics, and politics in a futuristic setting are well founded and logical in Brave New World, but Huxley is quick to discount his own advanced theories to a ridiculous status by affectionately introducing many values commonly held today.

First of all, contemporary love is a complex entity, shaped and evolved by innumerable customs, rituals, and religions of the past. Huxley predicts that the society of tomorrow will reduce love to raw lust, meaningless and sporadic. When first presented with the opportunity to indulge in the lustful nature of the future’s inhabitants, the savage reveals his own integrity:

"That’s why," he said speaking with averted face, "I wanted to do something first… I mean, to show I was worthy of you. Not that I could ever really be that. But at any rate to show I wasn’t absolutely un-worthy. I wanted to do something."

(Chapter XIII, page 193)

When his caller, Lenina, is persistent, he becomes angry and ultimately wins the defense of his vow of abstinence, thus achieving Huxley’s first objective: to discount the personal fulfillment acquired by pure lust in the absence of true love.

Furthermore, ethics is introduced as a hotly contested issue between the savage, a few free-thinkers, and the rest of the planet’s occupants. Essentially, Huxley creates a civilization in which families, pain, unhappiness, and God are not thought to exist. Every human being is a test-tube baby; motherless, fatherless, and genetically engineered to be satisfied with his future. In addition, all traces to the past (primarily books) are banned and eliminated, and citizens are kept satisfied by daily drug doses. Again, the savage summarizes the traditional viewpoint on how society should exist: "But I don’t want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin." (Brave New World, Chapter XVII, page 246) Opposition comes in the form of Mustapha Mond, a figurehead in the futuristic government:

"In fact… you’re claiming the right to be unhappy… Not to mention the right to grow old and ugly and impotent; the right to have syphilis and cancer; the right to have too little to eat; the right to be lousy; the right to live in constant apprehension of what may happen tomorrow; the right to catch typhoid; the right to be tortured by unspeakable pains of every kind."

(Chapter XVII, pages 246-247)

Huxley’s adamantly defiant protagonist, the savage, replies simply, "I claim them all." (Brave New World, Chapter XVII, page 247) Thus, Huxley’s second objective is achieved: to prove that a "perfect" lifestyle does not and cannot exist in the absence of traditional ethics.

Finally, politics have rarely, if ever, been deemed worthy of the adjective "noble." Classical civilizations (usually kingdoms and republics) all eventually fell, while the seemingly stronger and more enduring governments today are infested with corrupt politicians. Despite these deadly faults, Huxley suggests that today’s politics, while far from perfect, are as close to perfection as they can possibly be. Generally, people involve themselves with politics when they are unhappy with certain aspects of life, and therefore a total utopia would not (in theory) require a government answerable to the people. Huxley’s final point is realized by the existence of a "police" force in the futuristic utopia. A perfect populace would not require such a force, so their presence (to remove the savage, Bernard, and Helmholtz from the hospital) suggests that this society, lacking traditional ethics, is definitely not perfect. Thus, his final point is all but obvious: perfect governments rely on perfect populaces, and can therefore never exist due to the decline of traditional ethics and the resulting impossibility of the existence of a "perfect" populace.

Love, ethics, and politics are apt to change in the future, but not necessarily for the better. Deeply imbedded in Huxley’s deceptively perfect society, one finds that lust has replaced true love and removed an integral part of human nature and its needs. Another discovery in the future’s haze is a lack of ethics, completely eliminating any chance of creating a perfect lifestyle, due to the fact that ethics back many successful present-day governments and provide true guides to society’s tolerances. Lastly, the false utopia is given away by the need for a police force, suggesting a lack of government-enabling ethics. Essentially, Huxley simply provides an in-depth gaze at a perfect world before suddenly contrasting it with today’s world to disintegrate its shroud of trickery.