Discourse of manipulation of consciousness in literary works of A. Huxley and the Strugatsky brothers. Analogies with modernity

• Main Author: Vitaliy Biletskyy
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ukrainian Center for Cultural Studies 2020-02-01
• Series: Cхід
• Subjects: manipulation of consciousness; “mass-man”; “t era”; “the final circle of paradise”; “noon”; socio-philosophical views; dystopia; personality degradation; belief; mass humility
• Online Access: http://skhid.kubg.edu.ua/article/view/197017

In the article the author shows how literary works of the utopian and dystopian genre can serve as a source of scientific, in particular, socio-philosophical analysis of social phenomena. Interested in the phenomenon of manipulation of the mass consciousness, the author searches among writers for those who depict it with vivid artistic imagery. Aldous Huxley, Arkady and Boris Strugatsky and their corresponding works: “Brave New World”, “The Inhabited Island”, “Noon: 22nd Century” etc. are considered. These authors carefully and comprehensively build a dynamic picture of public relations and the state of public institutions, both during public calm and in the situation of the invasive war. Through the use of a number of scientific methods, it was discovered that the writers showed manipulation of the mass consciousness quite mature in terms of sociology, social philosophy, religious studies and social psychology. Their fundamental vision of instrumental influence on the masses of people is identical with the scientific one. The same applies to the approach to demonstrating modifications of the institute of public morality, religion, pedagogy and education for influencing the population. The author concludes particularly about the similarity of the modern manipulative political influence on the citizens of Ukraine to the influence existing in the Aldous Huxley’s world of total consumption, the degradation of the Christian morality. In turn, the militaristic treatment of the population, shown by the Strugatsky brothers, is identical to the propaganda that is taking place today within the Russian Federation. It is emphasized that the particular usefulness of analyzing literary works of this type is in addition to a purely rational picture, which is given by the scientific knowledge, and acquaintance with these works may initiate relevant scientific intelligence to trace parallels and analogies.