Interesting Aldous Huxley interview with Mike Wallace.

[Julius Seeker]

The topic is about what the major threats to freedoms will be. It's not going to be taking away guns, or forcing people to be environmentally friendly. It's overpopulation, corporations, distraction by technology. For anyone here who isn't familiar with Aldous Huxley, he is the author of Brave New World - a book written in 1931, taking place in 2450 AD and in the first part it depicts a utopian society which takes in some elements of Plato's Republic, and Thomas Moore's Utopia. The second part has a savage taken from outside of the "Brave New World." The Brave new World is then viewed through the eyes of a savage who has Western morality, the reader can somewhat empathize more with the savage, and at that point the reader realizes the book is not a Utopian story, but rather a Dystopian one; where everyone conforms to their class, there is no room for individuality - rather, those who appear different are shunned by the society, and those like the savage who are different are completely miserable.

Aldous Huxley is also the grandson of TH Huxley, the father of Agnosticism, and he defined it as simply someone whose lack of religion is not rooted in an assertion that there is probably no God, but rather that they have no knowledge of the greater question of existence. TH Huxley was a strong proponent for science, and for scientists to be completely unbiased and open minded to other possibilities; also that they should be agnostic in their worldview for the question of existence.



And yes, if the journalist looks and sounds familiar, he was the father of Fox News Anchor Chris Wallace.

[SineSwiper]

The Brave new World is then viewed through the eyes of a savage who has Western morality, the reader can somewhat empathize more with the savage, and at that point the reader realizes the book is not a Utopian story, but rather a Dystopian one; where everyone conforms to their class, there is no room for individuality - rather, those who appear different are shunned by the society, and those like the savage who are different are completely miserable.

Spoiler alert: we're already there. Today.

[Julius Seeker]

Aldous Huxley was surprisingly prophetic. Even on the drug thing that probably seemed ludicrous at the time. Who doesn't know dozens of people who are medicated in some way 24/7 so that they can properly behave in society?

[SineSwiper]

Who doesn't know dozens of people who are medicated in some way 24/7 so that they can properly behave in society?

What? Like caffeine?

[Julius Seeker]

I was thinking more along the lines of adderal, anti-depressants, adhd meds, etc... Caffeine, to a minor extent, does help us through stiff bullshit that sometimes comes from the mouth of a guy in a suit, rigid work hours, drifting to the edges of sleep where the mind wanders and loses focus... Yeah, Caffeine helps most people with their work day. It does have a pleasant buzz to it, even for those who can't detect it; it makes things more interesting, even if on a small scale.

Onto other Meds though - Even though people not people "going on vacation" or "taking a trip," as Huxley predicted, they're still a form of meds which have different effects but the same end result of Soma - fitting in. That's why people make the personal choice to take them too, they're convinced that sacrificing as much individuality as possible, and fitting in, is what is good. In other words: some things, such as depression, can be caused by hormonal unbalance, but it can be caused by anxiety and personal disparity between individuality and the social fabric; we medicate both.

[SineSwiper]

I was thinking more along the lines of adderal, anti-depressants, adhd meds, etc... Caffeine, to a minor extent, does help us through stiff bullshit that sometimes comes from the mouth of a guy in a suit, rigid work hours, drifting to the edges of sleep where the mind wanders and loses focus... Yeah, Caffeine helps most people with their work day. It does have a pleasant buzz to it, even for those who can't detect it; it makes things more interesting, even if on a small scale.

Most of those are just cousins to speed. I mention caffeine because 99% of everybody is taking some form of it, and it's just a form of self-medication. Most folks don't even realize the mental benefits of caffeine (and the mental detriments, when it wears off).

Onto other Meds though - Even though people not people "going on vacation" or "taking a trip," as Huxley predicted, they're still a form of meds which have different effects but the same end result of Soma - fitting in.

For the most part, I don't see this as a bad thing. Groups of people must be adjusted to some sort of "social norm" or social boundaries. We just hope that the definition of normal (or at least "socially normal") is wide enough to encompass almost everybody.

Yes, there are outcasts and folks that don't consider themselves unique or not "normal". But, I'm talking about norms involved in being a functional member of society. Diversity is a virtue, but being accepting of absolutely everything is just as dangerous as believing that society must be a narrow definition. As with everything, moderation is key.

That's why people make the personal choice to take them too, they're convinced that sacrificing as much individuality as possible, and fitting in, is what is good. In other words: some things, such as depression, can be caused by hormonal unbalance, but it can be caused by anxiety and personal disparity between individuality and the social fabric; we medicate both.

It's very very hard to figure this out. The line between "normal" and "needs medication" is so invisible.