Hedonic Happiness In Brave New World

Hedonic happiness is a concept derived from the philosophical notion of hedonism, which asserts that life’s primary goal is to maximize pleasure and minimize pain. This form of happiness is what controls the society in Aldous Huxley’s novel Brave New World. In the World State, Mustapha Mond has one goal, which is to eradicate all individuality and discomfort, as he attempts to strive towards a society with complete social stability. Bearing in mind the complete eradication of individuality, it is essential to consider the role of the citizens in society, considering if they are valued and cherished as unique individuals within their community or if they are merely interchangeable units within the social organism. The subordinate valuation of

But despite pleasure being a key element in a flourishing society, we can still consider the World State to be a dystopia, as he keeps his citizens satisfied by promoting superficial forms of happiness such as soma and recreational sex. This hedonic happiness isn’t genuine emotional fulfillment; instead, it’s a distraction that Mond designed so that the citizens don’t feel dissatisfied or question any aspect of their livelihoods. Mond’s utilitarian approach to hedonic happiness will never be justified, as we can see the true dystopian nature of society being unveiled through how society doesn’t value the individual and the complete eradication of individuality. We can see this being illustrated through the Bokanovsky Process, is reinforced through their use of superficial happiness and instant gratification, hypnotic conditioning, and is piteously accentuated as we witness the disvalue of death in their society. Early in the novel, it becomes clear that Mustapha Mond’s argument is indefensible, especially as we are introduced to the Bokanovsky

While it is true that practices like the Bokanovsky Process help to maintain stability in society, individuality and freedom are sacrificed for the sake of social stability. However, the citizens of the World State ignorantly believe that their world represents a perfect utopia, as they don’t recognize that they are living in an oppressive society. But this ignorance stems from the conditioning that is enforced upon them. Citizens are deprived of free will, and they live their lives vicariously through the forced experiences and roles dictated by the World State. We can see this unawareness through the character of the Director, who is considered the epitome of conditioning and an ideal citizen, as he says, “That is the secret of happiness and virtue - liking what you’ve got to do. All conditioning aims at that: making people like their unescapable social destiny” (Huxley 16). An unescapable social identity is how the citizens are identified, as it represents their value and self-worth. They have no ability to escape their pre-determined social identity, resulting in a society built upon uniformity and constant