All Things are Relative
The dictionary defines civilized as 'advanced in social customs, art, and
science'. The keyword here is social customs. A persons idea of what is
civilized is relative to his culture. Through out the history of man, one can
see many changes in customs, and customs is what defines our idea of what
is civilized. The word civilized is one of the most relative concepts.
Time and distance are what have shaped our customs for thousands of
years. If we look back throughout history we can see many customs that
may seem odd, or even barbaric, to us but were everyday events to these
ancient people. For example, the Aztec conducted sacrifices, to their Gods,
in which they torn out their victims heart with a knife, and their priests and
warriors proceeded to eat the victims flesh. Yet, the Aztec were considered
to be one of the most civilized group of Indians in the western hemisphere.
Brave New World Start
1st UK edition
First edition coverThe Anasazi, commonly called cave-dwellers, who from birth, used wood
and bindings to elongate the head. Even today in Japan, tradition says that
women are supposed to walk ten feet behind their husbands. This may seem
like demeaning women to us but who are we to judge when the United
States has had a long history of racial and ethnic discrimination and only
now are we changing.
The society in Brave New World has not lost their values but has simple
changed their idea of what is right and wrong. After all, how much have we
changed in the past 600 years. Six-hundred years ago in England, we killed
people for conducting scientific experiments and believed this was against
the teachings of the church. The society in Brave New World is a mirror to
our own when we view the past.