‘Oh wonder! How many goodly creatures are there here! How beauteous mankind is! Oh brave new world, That has such people in’t.’

— William Shakespeare, The Tempest

Truth be told, I’ve never actually read The Tempest, however this iconic excerpt is the inspiration for the title of one of my favorite books of all time: Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. The book is set in a futuristic, technological dystopia where humans are manufactured using artificial wombs and biologically engineered into different castes that each play pre-determined roles in society. The concepts of family, disease, aging, and—as far as most of society is concerned—pain have all been made obsolete by incredible technological progress. If one finds themselves experiencing the slightest bit of discomfort at any time, there’s always soma—a widely used drug that brings the user immediate pleasure.

In both The Tempest and Huxley’s novel, the term “brave new world” is used ironically to describe a seeming utopia that is actually dystopian in nature. While the advanced technologies of Huxley’s World State on the surface seem to have solved human suffering, they actually condemn the citizens to a life of mindless hedonism devoid of individuality, personal connection, and overall meaning.

I read Brave New World as a cautionary tale against valuing technological progress and immediate pleasure over people’s humanity. As we stand in the midst of one of the most profound technological revolutions in history, the cusp of our own brave new world, Huxley’s prescient warning reminds us to not lose sight of the whole of humanity, whom innovation should strive to serve rather than suppress.