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Brave New World. Chapter Two: Analysis Notes. Chapter Two. Chapter One = the World State's abuse of biological science in physically conditioning its citizens. Chapter Two = the use of psychological technologies to control the future behavior of World State citizens. . Chapter Two.
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Brave New World Chapter Two: Analysis Notes
Chapter Two • Chapter One = the World State's abuse of biological science in physically conditioning its citizens. • Chapter Two = the use of psychologicaltechnologies to control the future behavior of World State citizens.
Chapter Two • You might ask why the world does not fight, does not have rebellion, and is “perfect”. Realize this: • The World State citizens are bred. Much like an insect hive has specific jobs – humans are now a product. Conditioning + prenatal treatment = individuals without individuality.
Chapter Two • Each citizen is programmed to behave exactly like the next • STABILITY is ensured. • Everyone has a job (that they were physically bred to complete) • Everyone is obedient, they do not think, and to act like children. This is especially true of Alpha’s and Beta’s.
The Human Brain • Is one of the strongest organs in the human body. • It holds the ability to think, to move, to speak. • There are two ways to see the brain: CONSCIOUS (awake) vs. SUBCONSICOUS (not-awake)
Think of the brain like a light switch…. • If you are awake, your brain is on. • If you are asleep, your brain is off. • You cannot have the light switch in the middle. This is important to consider in this chapter…
Conditioning: What is it? • To be “conditioned” means to be trained. Everyone is conditioned. • Example: What do you do when you are about to cross the street? • Answer: Not thinking, you look both ways. • Rationale: You were trained by parents/guardians to look both directions before you cross the street. Now, years later, you don’t think about it. You probably don’t even notice that you do it.
Ivan Pavlov • Russian psychologist • Had a theory that you can create a conditioned reflex (aka: you respond to a cue). • Known for training dogs by sound.
The Pavlov Study • He had a pack of dogs, that he would feed. • Day One: Set the food down. • Day Two: Use a tuning fork or a bell, then set the food down. • Day Three: Rinse and repeat. • Day Four: Rinse and repeat. • Day Five: No food, but ring the bell. • Result? A dog salivating due to a sound, but with zero visual sights of food.
Apply this concept to mice… • In an electrified maze… • If the mouse touched the electric wall, he commits to memory that the wall “hurts” him. He won’t touch it again. • This is still true even if the wall is no longer electrified. It hurt him once upon a time, he will not dare risk it a second time.
Now apply the concept to man… • “Neo-Pavlovian Conditioning Rooms” • Train man to not like what you don’t want them to bother themselves with… by hurting them… and you control them without them really realizing it. • You kill any want to be an individual by never allowing it to be created in the first place.
Much like the mice, the way to make man hate something is to… • Use a loud and shrill sound – the Pavlov theory • Mild electric shock – the electrified mice theory If it works, you are now physically and mentally a product of the World State.
The Economy Factor: The Vicious Cycle • Why do we work? To earn money. • What does money grant us? The ability to spend on things we want to do outside the house. • What happens when we spend money? We go back to work.
The Book and Flower Test • If you are physically afraid of flowers, you will not go camping (there could be flowers). • CON to camping: Camping is a low-cost vacation. You buy the materials once and only replace it when they are in need of replacement. • PRO to the World State: People will go on more expensive vacations which inevitably means that they must return to work. $$$ for everyone!
Sleep-learning, or hypopaedia • A method in which teaches information to a sleeping person by playing a sound. • Only moderately effective. You learn it in your subconscious, not your conscious state. • Think back to the light switch…
The Light Switch Analogy • If you learn something asleep, your brain is OFF. • Your brain turns ON. You forget everything you just learned. • HOWEVER, I can cue your brain with a word. In that moment, while your brain is ON… it will revert to the subconscious. You will be awake, but not in control of your own body.
In short… • To learn science or math, you have to be awake. You cannot learn it without the practice, which requires you to be awake. • But in your sleep, I can teach you MORALS – things that you repeat and know to be true, but you have zero idea why.
Talk about redundant… • The citizens of BNW hear “life lessons” 123 times a day, all week long, for 30 months = hearing the same phrase over and over… to the tune of 13, 128 times. • After 30 months, you will have heard the phrase 393, 840times for the full cycle.
While they do not know “hard science”… • They know what they need to in order to behaviorally fit in. • Alpha’s work harder than me. I’m so happy to not have to work hard. • Epsilon’s do such silly work. I’m so happy I don’t have to do such silly work.
Regardless of WHAT you are… • You are okay with that option. • Consider an Epsilon: they don’t revolt even though the Alpha’s and Beta’s clearly have a better life. Why? • They think they don’t work as hard. So they are so happy to not have to work that hard.
The World State Goal • It is wrong to “think” about anything except for what the government dictates. • As humans, it is impossible to PREVENT anyone from thinking. • But, they can override the ability to think by making people drones. They start to think, they stop because of a phrase they heard 300,000 times.
Reading Quiz… • Good luck! • Things to remember… • Who was being “conditioned” at the start of the chapter? • When did hypnopaedia first work? Not the real time… think AF!!! • The caste order and color assignments!
