Brave New World by Aldous Huxley is an infamous book. Widely criticized for being anti religious, anti establishment, and contrary to traditional values, the book has been banned numerous times. Critics lambast the book for its alleged endorsement of casual sex, rampant drug use, and anti religious themes. I knew all of this when I picked the book up off the shelf at the airport book store; I was expecting a challenging read that would make me think hard to defend my values and beliefs. However, as I made my way through the book, I became astonished at the discrepancy between the popular criticism of the book, and the true reality of its contents. Having finished the book, it seems like many critics – especially those coming from traditional and religious backgrounds – have missed the point of the book entirely.

Perhaps the most ubiquitous criticism of the book is that it promotes casual sex and promiscuity. While it’s true that characters in the book act promiscuously, this in no way means that Huxley was trying to endorse this lifestyle. In fact, he was actually trying to criticize that lifestyle for lacking meaning and being unfulfilling. This can be seen when John confesses to Lenina that he “loves [her] more than anything else in the world.” As someone who grew up a “savage,” outside of the utopian (dystopian) popular society, John views love as something meaningful, more than simply something physical. However, upon hearing this, Lenina thinks that he wants to have sex with her. John realizes that Lenina is totally incapable of seeing love as anything deeper than physical intimacy, and because of this, he screams at her and threatens to kill her. This section of the book is not Huxley endorsing casual sex – its his warning against valuing immediate pleasure over lasting meaning. If only those angry religious critics realized Huxley was on their side all along!

Critics also take issue with the fact that characters in Brave New World rampantly abuse drugs. There is no denying this fact. However, just as with the prevalence of casual sex in the book, the fact that the characters are doing something doesn’t mean Huxley is endorsing that thing to the readers. In fact, if most of the characters do something in the book it usually means Huxley doesn’t condone it! The descriptions of drug use in the book highlight this fact. The characters in the book abuse “soma,” a psychedelic drug that makes one forget his current problems. The popular adage is that “a gram is better than a damn,” so characters take the drug at the slightest hint of difficulty or problem. However, Bernard refuses (at times) to take soma, asserting that he would rather be “[himself] and nasty” than “someone else, however jolly.” The true message in the book with regards to drugs is that it’s more noble to deal with life’s problems sober and head on than to distract one’s self.

There are, overall, many other controversial topics in the book, for example the genetically engineered racial hierarchy. Nevertheless, the general rule is that with all of these topics, Huxley is warning against them, not endorsing them. This is something many critics seem to have missed. Personally, I believe that Brave New World is a seminal and quasi-religious work of traditional western thought, rather than a sacrilegious endorsement of moral relativism. Whatever the case, I think that Huxley’s warning of a future consisting of pleasure over purpose and distraction over discipline is quite apropos for today, and I think it’s sad that popular criticism has put many off from reading this book.