It is claimed that the debate should not get stuck in an opposition of dystopian and utopian views, but should address important issues that demand attention in our real world: those of evaluation and governance of enhancing psychopharmacological substances in democratic, pluralistic societies.Īldous Huxley’s Brave New World (1932) is a famous and widely known dystopia, frequently called upon in public discussions about biotechnological developments. The second part of the paper draws some further conclusions for the ethical debate on psychopharmacology and human enhancement, by comparing the novels not only with each other, but also with our present reality. This is illustrated by a discussion of the issue of psychopharmacology and authenticity.
If we see fiction as a way of imagining what the world could look like, then what can we learn from Huxley’s novels about psychopharmacology and how does that relate to the discussion in the ethical and philosophical literature on this subject? The paper argues that in the current ethical discussion the dystopian vision on psychopharmacology is dominant, but that a comparison between Brave New World and Island shows that a more utopian view is possible as well. This paper will discuss both novels focussing especially on the role of psychopharmacological substances. It is less well known that 30 years later Huxley also wrote a utopian novel, called Island. Without soma, even hypnopaedia would be ineffective.Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World is a famous dystopia, frequently called upon in public discussions about new biotechnology. Soma is the World State's most powerful tool to subdue and control its citizens. The need for soma represents the failure of the World State to adequately satisfy its citizens.
Does soma make its users happy, or does it simply remove all emotion?.Why does Bernard seem to be magically immune to soma at the Solidarity Service?.If this is true, why do we find its use morally reprehensible? Actually, does the reader find it morally reprehensible? Everyone makes a big deal out of the fact that soma doesn't have the nasty after-effects of, say, alcohol (hangovers, guilt, shame, pregnancy).How much power do these guys need? Questions About Drugs and Alcohol So while the government may encourage drug use, it only does so as a means of further controlling the population. The problem, as one character identifies, is that the citizens are essentially enslaved by the drug and turned into mindless drones. And we mean any sense of dissatisfaction. The citizens of the "World State" have been conditioned to love the drug, and they use it to escape any momentary bouts of dissatisfaction.
So much for Just Say No, right? The drug in question here is soma, a hallucinogen described as "the perfect drug," with all the benefits (calming, surrealistic, ten-hour long highs) and none of those pesky drawbacks (you know, like brain damage). In Brave New World, drugs aren't just pretty common they're distributed en masse by the government. (Click the themes infographic to download.)
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