Orwell Versus Huxley: Economics, Technology, Privacy, and Satire

Posner, Richard A.

doi:10.2139/ssrn.194572

Orwell Versus Huxley: Economics, Technology, Privacy, and Satire

University of Chicago Law School, John M. Olin Law & Economics Working Paper No. 89

43 Pages Posted: 19 Nov 1999

See all articles by Richard A. Posner

Richard A. Posner

University of Chicago Law School; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Date Written: November 1999

Abstract

Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four and Huxley's novel Brave New World have often been thought prophetic commentaries on economic, political, and social matters. I argue, with particular reference to the supposed applicability of these novels to issues of technology and privacy, that the novels are best understood as literary works of art, rather than as social science or commentary, and that when so viewed Orwell's novel in particular reflects a dissatisfaction with everyday life and a nostalgia for Romantic values.

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Posner, Richard A., Orwell Versus Huxley: Economics, Technology, Privacy, and Satire (November 1999). University of Chicago Law School, John M. Olin Law & Economics Working Paper No. 89, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=194572 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.194572