This one is Aldous Huxley’s last book and the ultimate version of his ideal society. Let me make it simple and clear. 

Brave New World + Brave New World Revisited = island.

In Brave New World, Huxley warns us that the state absolutism would rule the world in the future. The suggested World State would use a variety of techniques and science to rule the mass. First, genetic engieering would be used to produce docile mass clones. Eugenics would be applied to build a hierachical pyramid caste system. Second, mass propaganda with hypnosis and chemical persuation would be used to control the mind and body of people. He believes the future world would be ruled by seleted few who are genetically and eugenically superior. The cloned inferiors would follow whatever the orders are came from above. Thus Brave New World is anti-utopia. 

About thirty years after the publication of Brave New World, he revisited Brave New World. In Brave New World Revisited, there are preventions and cures for the possible anti utopian world. First of all, self-governing local communities should be developed. In order to prevent the central government from becoming ever more powerful, grass root democracy and small-sized local governments should be built so that people learn to rule themselve, not by others. Secondly, people should be taught to learn the way of skeptical analysis, so they would not be swayed by the distorted information of mass media. 

Huxley’s paradise is the society that is immune to the all the evils of modern world, such as overpopulation, poverty, famine, mass media, consumerism, industrialization, military dictatorship, and exploitation of natural resources. The island is located somewhere in tropical Southeast Asia between the indian and the pacific oceans. Thus it has been strongly influenced by Hinduism and Buddhism. Huxley believes that the Wholly Other, one and only omnipotent God, is not in the distant another world, but is immanent here and now. Anyone can practice the yoga of life and yoga of love to be real being, so the true self. 

The island’s pragmatic policies can be successfully applied to under-developed countries in Asia and Africa. First, birth control is absolutely important to reduce the burden of overpopulation. Second, biochemical research programs should be introduced to improve agricultural production. Last and foremost is that children should be taught in psychophysiological ways. All people are unique in terms of their mind and body. Thus their temperament and anatomical aspects should be concernd greatly in their earlier stages of education. Those things suggested above are relatively easier and cheaper ways to become a more ideal society. They are basic keys and three pillars of a good society - appropriate population, advanced agriculture, and good education. 

However, there are three things I found disturbing and somewhat disgusting. First, Huxley believes IQs of children is decided by the parent’s. The sperms of deceased people whose IQs are superior than others are freezed and used for artificial insemination. Thus half-cloned children are not uncommon in this utopian island. Second, so-called moksha medicine is consumed to get under spiritual and ecstatic influence. This medicine is like the soma capsule in Brave New World, which leads people to eternal holidays and is used to make people ignorant and disinterested in the present problems and anxiety. There would be problems such as side-effects, overdose, and addiction. Thus the opium of masses. Thirdly, there is the yoga of making love. Through sex or Kamasutra - the art of love, people can reach the point of being real and true self. Sex is not just sex itself, but the ideal way of practicing the yoga for their body and soul. I’d like to believe it, but I am also concerned about all kinds of problems caused by lust, desires, possessiveness, chemical and physiological imbalance that human beings have for thousand years. Can the yoga of making love solve the problems we have now in the modern world? Can the mushroom drug deliver us from evil and temptation? Can eugenics provide us the intelligent children who will not be affected by television, game consoles and internet?

I am skeptical.