by WME3 » December 11th, 2013, 10:49 pm
Aldous Huxley: An iconic author discussing his most relevant topic.
After listening to it, the topic of electrodes in the rats brought up a very important point: this lecture is over 50 years old. The things he spoke of then are more relatable now then ever, and will continue to be so. I wonder at how long it will be before technology passes us, and faster methods will render the act of performing hypnosis inefficient/obsolete?
As for dictatorships, and governance, I would say that the attempts at studying the mind for its universal control has made some grounds into the nature of suggestion, and BNW has its comparisons; In the U.S., our general consensus on the government would be (not too exaggerated to say) abysmal, and even with a majority of disagreement, action since the bush administration has been relatively quiet. Other countries have rioted for less!
The biggest factor in play to this whole ideology, is that at the time, no internet existed: now as the book has aged, is Huxley still as relevent as ever? Have we buried ourselves in a BNW? Or have we become more secure and prepared against such a scenario?