1984 vs Brave New World — What dystopias can teach us about innovation

Confession: I was never a fan of science fiction in which technology takes precedence over the human condition. I seek refuge in History where the story takes precedence. However, at a book launch by Amish Tripathi in Bangalore, he mentioned that the world of today is more akin to Brave New World than 1984. I was intrigued.

Are we living in a dystopia? If so, which one?

The Lives of the Authors in Turbulent Times

Orwell was born in Colonial India in 1903, served in the Burmese Police Force, lived in Paris, and was wounded in the Spanish Civil War. 1984 was his final work, written in near-monastic solitude on the island of Jura. He wore his disdain for totalitarianism on his sleeve — chiefly concerned with external political forces controlling human life.

Huxley, after his maiden visit to the US in 1929, was shaken by the sheer materialism of America. He later found his way to California, explored Vedanta and mysticism. A pacifist at heart, he seemed more concerned with the inner world as a source of control than the external world.

Dystopian Elements with an Eerie Resemblance to Today

The scariest element of 1984 is Newspeak. Thoughts control words — but it can work the other way round. Labels eliminate nuance, that sneaky detail that sometimes tips the scale of judgment away from the seemingly obvious.

In Brave New World, dependence on Soma — described as having "all the benefits of Christianity and alcohol without the side effects" — is a glaring reflection of the opioid epidemic. The Decanting and Hatcheries where humans are mass-produced and calibrated to fit a role are only a few philosophical steps away from CRISPR babies.

Both books keep open the possibility of the dystopias being disrupted by outsiders — proles in 1984 and savages in Brave New World. Nothing underscores the need for diversity of thought more than this.

The Biggest Innovation Learning

The sustainable way to enforce change in the way humans live — for better or for worse — is to make the change desirable.