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We were keeping our eye on 1984.

When the year came and the prophecy didn't,

thoughtful Americans sang softly in praise of themselves.

The roots of liberal democracy had held.

Wherever else the terror had happened, we at least had not been visited by the Orwellian nightmares.

But, we had forgotten that alongside Orwell's dark vision, there was another, slightly older, slightly less well known, equally chilling.

Aldous Huxley's brave new world.

Contrary to common belief, even among the educated, Huxley and Orwell did not

prophesy the same thing. Orwell warns that we will be overcome by an externally

imposed oppression. But in Huxley's vision, no big brother is required to

deprive people of their autonomy, maturity in history. As he saw it, people will come

to love their oppression, to adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think.

What Orwell feared were those who would ban books.

What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one.

Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information.

Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism.

Or well feared that the truth would be concealed from us.

Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance.

Orwell feared we would become a captive culture.

Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture,

...