Brave New World Revisited

Huxley rejects a notion expressed by some sociologists, which is that sociability is the most important human characteristic. In Huxley’s view, humans are only “moderately gregarious,” and their social arrangements should reflect this fact. Because Huxley places high value on individual dignity and rights, he believes that individuals can never be reduced to a place in society or in a group. The doctrine of the Social Ethic (see Index of Terms) demonstrates that humans must adjust to a larger group to which they belong, and this tendency to conform leads to a desire to impose uniformity and standardization on society. The human need for liberty is predicated on the individual uniqueness of every human being; a person has individual value according to his or her own terms and not merely as a part of a social group.

Huxley argues that the Social Ethic is becoming the main organizing principle in society, replacing the “traditional ethical system” (24) which emphasized the value of the individual. Instead of human rights and dignity, the Social Ethic speaks of “adjustment,” “adaptation,” “social skills,” “team work,” and similar concepts which prioritize the group over the individual. The Social Ethic assumes that biological differences in individuals should be “sacrificed to cultural uniformity,” and “the rights of the collectivity take precedence over what the eighteenth century called the Rights of Man” (24). One practical consequence of this shift is that a person’s work duties are expected to take precedence over his family life and that loyalty to the company that employs the Organization Man (see Index of Terms) must be prioritized. 

Huxley criticizes the tendency in modern science to regard human beings as products of their social environment. This approach discounts the role that individual talent and genius plays in society and history. Among the thinkers arguing this view were Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) and B.F. Skinner (1904-1990). For Huxley, this way of thinking is symptomatic of society’s turning away from a belief in the freedom of the will and toward collectivism and conformity. The trend is to regard human beings as “the masses,” so as to make them more manageable by society’s leaders.

Huxley follows thinkers like William James (1842-1910) who assert that the importance of genetic inheritance and personal makeup (e.g., body, temperament, intellectual endowments) are crucial factors in making a person what he/she is and in differentiating him/her from others. Thus, human beings are all unique and not reduceable to their social class, era, or place.