Brave New World Revisited (P.S.) (Paperback)

~ (Author) "In 1931, when Brave New World was being written, I was convinced that there was still plenty of time..." (more)
Key Phrases: hypnopaedic suggestions, subliminal projection, Brave New World, Aldous Huxley, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A message which, enforced by Mr. Huxley's seriousness and clear dialectic on dealing with social problems, we cannot ignore.... The last pages carry a somewhat tragic node about his misgivings whether man himself wishes ot be saved." -- Time and Tide, London

"A thought jabbing, terrifying book." -- -- Chicago Tribune

"Brilliantly written.... Should appeal to readers of all breeds." -- -- Kirkus Review

"It is a frightening experience.... to discover how much of his satirical prediction of a distant future became reality in so short a time." -- New York Times Book Review" --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Description

When the novel Brave New World first appeared in 1932, its shocking analysis of a scientific dictatorship seemed a projection into the remote future. Here, in one of the most important and fascinating books of his career, Aldous Huxley uses his tremendous knowledge of human relations to compare the modern-day world with his prophetic fantasy. He scrutinizes threats to humanity, such as overpopulation, propaganda, and chemical persuasion, and explains why we have found it virtually impossible to avoid them. Brave New World Revisited is a trenchant plea that humankind should educate itself for freedom before it is too late.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial Modern Classics (September 5, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060898526
• ISBN-13: 978-0060898526
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #78,817 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The world is ripe to take Mr. Huxley more seriously, October 24, 1999

By	Walter V. Cicha "Cichacech" (Vancouver, BC Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Brave New World Revisited (Perennial Library) (Paperback)

Mr. Huxley started warning us in 1932, with his masterpiece, "Brave New World." In this essay-style analysis of his own book, written twenty-six years later, he takes it one big step further. Addressing everything from overpopulation to overorganization, his words ring more true with every passing year. Our society needs to lift its head from the computer screen for a few hours to read this critical work. Few, if any, have said so much in so little space. Mr. Huxley is one of the greatest thinkers of the twentieth century, and it is a criminal shame that his words are not more widely read. We should put down our endless self-help manuals and learn where our ills really begin. We need to understand how the roots serve the tree before we can improve upon the tree. Mr. Huxley is an expert gardener...

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid, January 13, 2001

By	"netchild" (Lubbock, TX. United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brave New World Revisited (Perennial Library) (Paperback)

That is the message which Huxley conveys through this follow-up to his masterpiece, Brave New World. Huxley's obsevations of modern day mind control methods, brainwashing, and propaganda are chilling. What is even more chilling is that this book was written in 1958, one can imagine what advances in these dark sciences man has taken since then. A key point in this book is that if a totalitarian state is going to exist in the present day it will almost surely be more like Huxley's Brave New World, rather than Orwell's 1984. The main reason for this is that whereas Orwell's society revolves around the threat of violence, torture, and death, Huxley's revolves around the reward system. Huxley's Brave New World lulls the masses to sleep so that they have no idea that their freedom is being taken away. Huxley predicts that we will drug people who are even slightly out of the norm for "mental illnesses" (does Prozac ring a bell?). He predicts that valuable information, information necessary for the preservation of freedom, will be subtly, very subtly, taken away from the masses while replacing it with a seemingly terrific reward (does television ring a bell?). Huxley's most frightening premise in this book is that the individual (what he and others identify as "The Great Man") is being done away with by modern "science". He recapitulates for us the great debate between the behaviorist psychologists (like Watson and Skinner) and the philosopher psychologist William James. Skinner and company believe that the individual is powerless over his environmental influences while James strongly believes in the idea of "The Great Man". (In other words did Elizabethan England create Shakespeare's plays or did Shakespeare create his plays?) Huxley tells us the bad news in bulk before getting to the obvious question What can we do? His answer can be summarized in one word, THINK!!! Think, debate, don't accept the packaged and marketed ideas that are given to you like a McDonalds cheeseburger. In Huxley's words, educated yourself for freedom. And you can start by reading a copy of this book. If your local bookstore doesn't have one, then for God's sake, for all of our sakes, find a copy quick.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An interesting collection of essays, August 5, 2003

By	Evan Wearne (Lincoln, NE United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Brave New World Revisited (Perennial Classics) (Paperback)

This work by Aldous Huxley is one of the best nonfiction books I have read. I couldn't help but realize this man's genius as I read this book. His understanding of science is evident and only surpassed by his knowledge of the psychological. I recognized some of what I read, and believe that "Brave New World Revisited" must be the original source. Additionally, the book contains much information I had never heard before.

The book is a collection of twelve essays written on how to prevent the world from "Brave New World" from coming into existence. Already in 1958, Huxley paints a bleak picture for our future. One of the main problems Huxley forsees is the lack of desire for freedom. In 1958, a study showed that American youths were indifferent to rule by a few experts instead of a democracy. He sees a need to increase critical thinking in the individuals of a society. He also explains the current methods of involuntary mental manipulation. The "Brave New World Revisited" is an informative collection of essays that has risen my awareness of psychological dangers.