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Science, Liberty and Peace

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Science and religion are disciplines for the acquisition of knowledge about the natural truths of the world, but both are liable to boldly stumble into error and catastrophe in offering answers.

Papal infallibility is one of the silly conceits of the Roman Catholic church, just as scientific fact is a folly that lasts until the next obvious evidence is uncovered. The problem, which Huxley tumbled into in this brief but eloquent book, is that both disciplines are pathways to understanding the natural world and human feelings rather than definitive guideposts or definitions. The human tragedy, as well as scientfic heresy, is a belief in any "final solution".

The heart of this book is the observation by Lord Acton "that liberty under law . . . . . is the end of all political action, all social and economic arrangements." This is the crux of history, the persistent struggle to maximize individual freedom without inhibiting the rights of others. Freedom is not a destination, a Shangri La of the mind; it is a way of living that has been debated since at least the dawn of written accounts.

Huxley errs quickly, in his first paragraph, "All that is being maintained here is that progressive science is one of the causative factors involved in the progressive decline of liberty and the progressive centralization of power". In other words, more knowledge means less freedom. If Huxley is right, the vast increase in science in America since 1945 implies the McCarthy era was freer than today; and the Soviet Union of Stalin was freer than the Russia of Putin.

In Russia, scientists such as Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn were among the first and strongest leaders in the struggle for freedom; in the US, technologists such as Steve Jobs and Bill Gates are among the leaders in expanding freedom. It's those who spread fear and doubt, such as Rush Limbaugh and Pat Robertson, who are the true enemies of freedom.

Huxley stumbles across the impact of these nattering nabobs of negativism in his book, but adroitly dances around every obvious misstep in a nimble display of the British ability to cynically expect everything to fail. In brief, the truth is almost the exact opposite of everything he proposes.

So what is the arcane value of this book?

It is a reminder of the nobility of the human spirit in overcoming setbacks, detours and distractions in the perpetual quest for freedom. Why a perpetual quest? It's simply because the values we call "freedom" change as our society and our personal attitudes change. It's why freedom, science, and religion, is a way of life and not a destination.

In religion, "Heaven" is a destination beyond this earth for those who live a specific way of life . . . . . as defined by the priesthood. The same applies to the true believers in politics. In science, as in freedom, no one has yet invented "heaven". It is why deep thinkers are so often disturbed by the vagaries of science, as well as freedom, and yet so certain about religion and politics.

It's worth buying for anyone who needs reassurance that the worst of the famed British cynicism never comes true, and people are really much better than they believe. After 'Brave New World' in 1932, it is just the type of self-justification one could expect. The scholarship is delightful, the conclusion abysmal.