binmucker on Nostr: I just finished Brave New World, and Mustafa Mond is one of the most fascinating ...
I just finished Brave New World, and Mustafa Mond is one of the most fascinating characters in the book.
(Spoilers ahead—if you haven’t read it, go do that first.)
Unlike the other citizens of the World State, Mond knows what’s been lost. And yet, he enforces the system anyway.
After his debate with John (the Savage) in Chapter 17, where they discuss God, suffering, and truth Mond essentially disappears. Not because he changes, but because he already made his choice long ago. He represents the ultimate cynic: a man who understands the cost of the World State’s happiness and accepts it as necessary.
Mond could have taken a different path. He was once a scientist, tempted by the pursuit of truth. But when faced with a choice, he didn’t choose truth or freedom: he chose power. Unlike John, he sees the world for what it is and doesn’t fight it; he just plays his role as one of the controllers.
And that’s the chilling part. The system doesn’t need to confront John’s suffering. It just lets him destroy himself. Mond doesn’t intervene because he doesn’t need to. The World State absorbs or eliminates threats without a grand showdown.
Mond acts like a true believer, but there are some cracks in his facade. He understands what’s been sacrificed for stability, but he doesn’t seem particularly happy about it. Unlike the Director and other officials who follow blindly, Mond has thought about these things. He’s read Shakespeare, the Bible, philosophy. He understands science and independent inquiry. And yet, he still chooses control over truth.
Which makes me think: does Mond believe in the system, or does he just enjoy the power of enforcing it?
If he truly believed, why hide books? Why exile people like Helmholtz who crave something deeper? If the system was so perfect, why the need to suppress? Deep down, Mond knows the system is built on control.
In a way, Mond is trapped in his own paradox. He understands what’s missing, but maybe he sees himself as one of the few who can understand. Maybe he thinks the masses can’t handle the truth, so he rationalizes controlling them. Or maybe, he just enjoys being the one who decides.
Personally, I believe there’s great wisdom in the masses, and individuals should be free to choose for themselves. But history shows that when humans are given unchecked power, they will wield it. That’s why control of this magnitude should never be entrusted to any person or institution. If we want to thrive as a species, we must trust in protocols over people.
Brave New World doesn’t revolve around money, but its ideas map eerily well onto our modern world. Except in our case, social media is our soma. It’s the digital drug that numbs our minds, keeping us distracted as we scroll through an endless feed of memes, outrage, and dopamine hits. And just like the World State engineered stability through pleasure, today’s tech overlords manipulate attention through algorithms designed for addiction.
They know these systems shorten attention spans. They know they make it harder for people to focus, to think deeply. And yet, instead of pulling back, they crank the levers even harder. Engagement at all costs. Control wrapped in convenience.
This is why I’m so damn grateful for Nostr and Bitcoin, protocols that resist central control, that let people opt out of the algorithmic feedlot.
That said, after reading both 1984 and Brave New World, I have to admit: if dystopia is inevitable, I’d take Huxley’s over Orwell’s any day of the week.
My 2 sats
(Spoilers ahead—if you haven’t read it, go do that first.)
Unlike the other citizens of the World State, Mond knows what’s been lost. And yet, he enforces the system anyway.
After his debate with John (the Savage) in Chapter 17, where they discuss God, suffering, and truth Mond essentially disappears. Not because he changes, but because he already made his choice long ago. He represents the ultimate cynic: a man who understands the cost of the World State’s happiness and accepts it as necessary.
Mond could have taken a different path. He was once a scientist, tempted by the pursuit of truth. But when faced with a choice, he didn’t choose truth or freedom: he chose power. Unlike John, he sees the world for what it is and doesn’t fight it; he just plays his role as one of the controllers.
And that’s the chilling part. The system doesn’t need to confront John’s suffering. It just lets him destroy himself. Mond doesn’t intervene because he doesn’t need to. The World State absorbs or eliminates threats without a grand showdown.
Mond acts like a true believer, but there are some cracks in his facade. He understands what’s been sacrificed for stability, but he doesn’t seem particularly happy about it. Unlike the Director and other officials who follow blindly, Mond has thought about these things. He’s read Shakespeare, the Bible, philosophy. He understands science and independent inquiry. And yet, he still chooses control over truth.
Which makes me think: does Mond believe in the system, or does he just enjoy the power of enforcing it?
If he truly believed, why hide books? Why exile people like Helmholtz who crave something deeper? If the system was so perfect, why the need to suppress? Deep down, Mond knows the system is built on control.
In a way, Mond is trapped in his own paradox. He understands what’s missing, but maybe he sees himself as one of the few who can understand. Maybe he thinks the masses can’t handle the truth, so he rationalizes controlling them. Or maybe, he just enjoys being the one who decides.
Personally, I believe there’s great wisdom in the masses, and individuals should be free to choose for themselves. But history shows that when humans are given unchecked power, they will wield it. That’s why control of this magnitude should never be entrusted to any person or institution. If we want to thrive as a species, we must trust in protocols over people.
Brave New World doesn’t revolve around money, but its ideas map eerily well onto our modern world. Except in our case, social media is our soma. It’s the digital drug that numbs our minds, keeping us distracted as we scroll through an endless feed of memes, outrage, and dopamine hits. And just like the World State engineered stability through pleasure, today’s tech overlords manipulate attention through algorithms designed for addiction.
They know these systems shorten attention spans. They know they make it harder for people to focus, to think deeply. And yet, instead of pulling back, they crank the levers even harder. Engagement at all costs. Control wrapped in convenience.
This is why I’m so damn grateful for Nostr and Bitcoin, protocols that resist central control, that let people opt out of the algorithmic feedlot.
That said, after reading both 1984 and Brave New World, I have to admit: if dystopia is inevitable, I’d take Huxley’s over Orwell’s any day of the week.
My 2 sats