From Alpha to Epsilon | A Brief Review of “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley
Let’s consider, just for a moment, that the societal construct witnessed in Brave New World is not as barbaric as it seems. Thus far, we’ve witnessed a series of communities utilizing genetic recombination to benefit the greater good of their society. Through the bastardized process of meiosis, the community is able to replenish their numbers at will with the exponential growth and replication of embryos. However, to avoid encroaching upon the aggressive waters of eugenics, my fascination is aimed towards the classification of the genetically altered children.
As displayed above, a child is placed under one of the following categories: Epsilon, Delta, Gamma, Beta, or Alpha. Based on the child’s cognitive, physical, and intellectual abilities, they are herded and groomed into one of the five categories. As inhuman as this hierarchy is, we utilize a similar “system” today, although incredibly diluted. We cannot evade the fact that some individuals are simply better suited for different roles that, ideally, contribute to society. What separates our present day hierarchy from Brave New World, is the continuous development throughout life and the freedom to pursue whatever role it is that we want to play.
