Images of Technology in Books The Brave New World and Robbie - Essay Example

Images of Technology in “The Brave New World” and “Robbie A Comparative Analysis Introduction Aldous Huxley’s perspective on the utility of technology, as it is presented in the “Brave New World”, seems to be an antithesis of Isaac Asimov’s stance toward technology in his story, “Robbie”. A close comparative analysis of the two aforementioned texts will show that Huxley has extended Asimov’s proposition to materialize the apprehension that technology may be harmful to human being and society. Whereas Asimov’s view appears to be a 20th century enthusiast’s naïve optimism for technology, Huxley’s speculation of a bizarre and wacky technology-backed human society is a cautious attempt to gauge technology’s merits and demerits. Indeed all of the additional themes of Huxley’s novel are stitched together with the main theme, “the advancement of science as it affects human individuals” (Huxley xi). The dominance of the technology that ultimately lacks love and emotion contributes to the sinister aspect of Huxley’s “ideal society”. Apparently the novel appears fallibly to be the mere futurology of a technology-equipped world, whereas Asimov’s story simply professes for the positive aspects of technology. Positive Aspects of Technology in the two Texts In the story, “Robbie”, Asimov attempts to conjure up a positive image of technology. For him, technology is a faithful, beneficial and comforting companion of human being. Indeed it is one side of the reality. He never goes for the other side that is theoretically dark. In the story Robbie the non-verbal robot is proved to be a loyal savior of the little girl Gloria. The robot’s role is, in fact, to make the Westons’ life easier by securing safety for their child. But unlike Huxley, Asimov has failed to go beyond this scene of technology-backed ease and comfort of human life. The “Brave New World” also depicts such technology-induced ease and comfort, but in a different light. An in-depth analysis of the inner meaning of the novel seems to be bound to exhume a more profound theme that includes technology revealed in a positively negative context. The question whether technology can bring about ultimate happiness has been continually explored throughout the whole novel. Here Huxley scathingly criticizes any regime that claims universal happiness for human being. He attempts to establish; if happiness is something to be pursued by human being, certainly it cannot be brought about by any genetic pre-program. Consequently the futility of the use of technology by the totalitarian authority to bring happiness is revealed in the claim of the savages: The right to grow old and ugly and impotent; the right to have syphilis and cancer; the right to have too little to eat; the right to be lousy; the right to live in constant apprehension of what may happen tomorrow; the right to catch typhoid; the right to be tortured by unspeakable pains of every kind. (Huxley, 240) Overall Aspect of Technology in the texts In the story, Asimov manages to restore the readers’ faith in technology’s loyalty and capability, defying the conventional Frankenstein complex. He ignores what is supposed to happen in case of people’s massive dependence on technology. For an instance he ignores what will happen if robots are capable enough to replace parental care and if the society massively depends on them. Unlike Asimov, Huxley comes up with the answer that the society will become robotically functioning entity in which sacred shibboleths like love, affection, fatherhood, motherhood, etc will expire. In the novel Huxley continually manages to exploit the attention of his readers to the fact that happiness in the Brave New World derives from what technology is supposed to contribute to it, such as genetic engineering, mutation and biological advancements, Centrifugal Bumble-puppy and Obstacle Golf, pleasure drug, Soma, etc. One of the stunning aspects of this technology-equipped society is the limitless consumerism that satisfies only the hunger of carnal desires of human being. Consequently ‘Happiness’ in this society tolls the sacrifice of the most sacred shibboleths of human culture: “love”, “family”, “freedom”, “motherhood”, “home” etc. Controls in every sphere of life determine the individual existence of human being. Controls of technical pre-programs replace the moral restrictions of human that traditional religions of the world impose upon man, as Mustafa Mond says, “God isnt compatible with machinery and scientific medicine and universal happiness” (Huxley 234). Genetic Engineering to Determine the Castes The image of the genetic engineering in determining the casts and in the implementation of the states motto, "Community, Identity, Stability" (Huxley 3) crucially reveals the totalitarian traits of the Brave new World. Through this image the Brave New World appears to be such a society where individual freedom and existence of human being are sacrificed for the sake of peace and happiness in the state. Here all the aspects of human life are controlled by the Government bureau Predestinators. The state controls the role of her citizens prior to their birth. Citizens are not allowed to raise their children; rather it is the responsibility of the State. They are not allowed to love, marry, etc. Indeed the story of the novel revolves around the theme of control and manipulation through technologies. The state exercises her control using the advantages of science. The image of the ‘Central London Hatching and Conditioning Centre’ is itself a symbol of the control and manipulation of the totalitarian authority of the Brave New World. The hatching and conditioning center is responsible for producing the main castes, Alphas, Betas, Gammas, Deltas and Epsilons, assigned with different statuses. The idea that runs the center is that physical and mental identical existence will contribute to the stability of the state. "All conditioning aims at that: making people like their unescapable social destiny" (Huxley 16). Negative Aspects of Scientific Utopianism Unlike Asimov’s naïve optimism and faith in technology Huxley upholds negative aspects of scientific Utopianism. Asimov attempts to show that science and technology are not hostile to human being. Rather they are friendly and helping and they can bring ease and comfort in human life. Like Asimov, Huxley also admits that technology can bring ease. But pursue after material and physical ease and comfort is the ultimate goal of human being. There is something else, behind physical comfort, which technology cannot bring. The image of “Soma” infallibly represents the futility of technology. The cynic trend of technology to render human being with the inauthentic “imbecile happiness” is revealed with the escapist use of the pleasure drug, “Soma”. It symbolizes the vacuous escapism of technology that appears to lacerate the freedom of human being. People are prescribed to take it to reduce the pain of the lack of freedom. The drug does not enrich human existence; rather it intensifies “suggestibility, leaving its users vulnerable to government propaganda” (Huxley 28). In fact, it is a drug that creates “a quite impenetrable wall between the actual universe and their minds" (Huxley 64). The readers are oft-repeatedly informed that the inhabitants of the Brave New World are happy. But the ways in which the authority of the New World manipulates technology to bring about happiness ironically draw a demarcation line of what the true meaning of happiness is. Alduous Huxley proficiently warns his readers against the rigidity of the Scientific Utopianism. Conclusion Technology plays the role of a gigantic machine that is capable of fulfilling the intensions of the totalitarian authority. Obviously the advancement of science and technologies is, to some extent, to affect human life but the more of its role is to be played by some people to snatch the individuality of human beings. Unlike “Robbie” “The Brave New World” shows that the demonic advancement of science and technology is utterly responsible for the negative and suffocating impacts on human being. But the truth is that the responsibility, to a crucial extent, falls upon the shoulders of the totalitarian authority of the Brave New World. Rather technology helps them to stiffen their grip on human being. Technology is manipulated to create the aura of the make-belief happiness in the Brave New World. For example, the inhabitants of the Brave New World are traumatized with electric shock in their childhood in order to shape their emotional behavior. Again the Toddlers from the lower class of the Brave New World are intimidated with earsplitting noises. All of these techniques are applied to practice control. Works Cited Asimov, Isaac. “Robbie”, Super Science Stories. California: Bentham, 1998 Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. New York: Harper Collins, 1946. Read More