Fifth Business Essay

Platonic lens of the utopia

                                              Name: Jeff Chen
                                              Course: ENG4U
                                          Teacher: Mrs. Morse
                                          Date: May 10th, 2010
  It has been popularly agreed that the World State in Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World is a totalitarian society. Its regime keeps the citizens under a single political party by controlling over the entire ideology and propaganda. Indeed, the world state also creates personality cults and takes control of the economy. However, if people were to examine it through Plato’s famous work— The Republic, the World State would appear to be a utopia. In The Republic, Plato has created an integrated image for an ideal city through principles of social organization, social structure, qualities required in the citizens, and the ideas about truly knowing and understanding. Compare them with the World State; people may easily conclude that the World State is basically a utopian society, since it satisfies all the conditions of the utopia concluded by Plato.

  The argument about totalitarianism and individuality has been debating for over sixty years back from the beginning of the cold war; by the time people were in constant fear because the world is becoming a totalitarian state. The social hierarchy in the World State is what makes the society a totalitarian state. A totalitarian regime is a government, which controls every aspect of the life of the people. People living under a totalitarian regime generally also support it, sometimes almost cultishly, thanks to extensive propaganda missions, which are designed to promote a positive view of the government. Citizens are also usually afraid to criticize the government, so they may be outspoken supporters to avoid closer scrutiny. (WISEGEEK); which means making everybody equal. Therefore, only the social hierarchy would force them sacrifice their...