The dangers of the all-powerful state and the role of freedom in Brave New World
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Distraction of population due to drugs, leisure-time activities (e.g. Solidarity Service)
 Loss of ability to think freely
Conditioning, hypnopedia
 Loss of ability to act according to their own will
Only 10 world controllers
 Godlike behavior; power over billions of people (e.g. elimination of art/history)
 Everything that was considered once a virtue (e.g. braveness, willpower, good behavior,
reason, …) has been abandoned and will never come back.
 To think of being in possession of the ultimate solution makes making sacrifices easy, so
that a human life counts nothing (process of conditioning)
Freedom in Brave New World

one is considered property
o everyone belongs to everyone else
 "But, my dear chap, you're welcome, I assure you. You're welcome."
Henry Foster patted the Assistant Predestinator on the shoulder.
"Every one belongs to every one else, after all

no freedom of emotion
o freedom to be unhappy/to suffer
 "In fact," said Mustapha Mond, "you're claiming the right to be
unhappy."
"All right then," said the Savage defiantly, "I'm 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 to-morrow; the right to catch typhoid; the right to be tortured
by unspeakable pains of every kind." There was a long silence.
"I claim them all," said the Savage at last.

slave and master in & of society
o everyone works for everyone else
 "Every one works for every one else. We can't do without any one.
Even Epsilons are useful. We couldn't do without Epsilons. Every one
works for every one else. We can't do without any one…"

trading happiness for freedom
o soma
 "Don't you want to be free and men? Don't you even understand what
manhood and freedom are?" Rage was making him fluent; the words
came easily, in a rush. "Don't you?" he repeated, but got no answer to
his question. "Very well then," he went on grimly. "I'll teach you; I'll
make you be free whether you want to or not." And pushing open a
window that looked on to the inner court of the Hospital, he began to
throw the little pill-boxes of soma tablets in handfuls out into the area.

people are told that they are free
o corruption of language by the state
o an understanding of freedom is missing
o enslaved by conditioning
 "…what would it be like if I could, if I were free – not enslaved by my
conditioning."
"But, Bernard, you're saying the most awful things."
"Don't you wish you were free, Lenina?"
"I don't know what you mean. I am free. Free to have the most
wonderful time. Everybody's happy nowadays."