Heavy is the Cost… Feraco Myth to Science Fiction 18 March 2010

Let’s look at what it means to live in Orwell’s universeLet’s look at what it means to live in Orwell’s universe Nothing comes for freeNothing comes for free The cost of lovingThe cost of loving The cost of believingThe cost of believing The cost of livingThe cost of living

We’ll tie those costs to issues of power – since that seems to be one of the book’s focal pointsWe’ll tie those costs to issues of power – since that seems to be one of the book’s focal points How many of you would like to hold power at some point in your lifetimes?How many of you would like to hold power at some point in your lifetimes? Which kinds of power will you pursue?Which kinds of power will you pursue?

External controlsExternal controls –Boss  Employees –Parent  Children Why is this type of power important?Why is this type of power important? –Protect those you care about –Protect yourself (not everyone’s an angel) –Perpetuate yourself/your legacy

Internal controlsInternal controls –Be your own boss –Intelligence/Emotion  Control the direction of your thoughts, independently reach conclusions and make choices, and feel secure with your own/collective identity –Physical  Freedom to choose independent action, establish roles, and provide for immediate security

Two QuestionsTwo Questions –Why aren’t the internal controls supposed to be attractive if applied externally? (i.e. Why shouldn’t we seek to manipulate others’ emotions if we seek to control our own?) –How do you frame/express what you want? Do you express yourself in terms of what you don’t want vs. what you do?

These discrepancies highlight the two ways people can sustain power – through either negative or positive consequences – and the vast differences between the approaches in terms of relationships and sustainabilityThese discrepancies highlight the two ways people can sustain power – through either negative or positive consequences – and the vast differences between the approaches in terms of relationships and sustainability

Character Relationships – Type 1 Negative ConsequenceNegative Consequence –Established in terms of what you don’t want to happen –This can be framed positively (“Protect”) or negatively (“Avoid”) –Grants influence and power to elements out of an individual’s control in order to provide motivation –Relationships based on fear, mutual harm, and deficiency

Character Relationships – Type 2 Positive ConsequencePositive Consequence –Established in terms of what you want to happen –This is difficult to frame negatively –Grants influence and power to elements that remain in an individual’s control in order to provide motivation –Relationships based on loyalty, respect, and consistency

Here’s a fascinating quirk – you establish truly positive relationships when you have the luxury of survivalHere’s a fascinating quirk – you establish truly positive relationships when you have the luxury of survival If you aren’t “assured” of survival, virtually everything you’re doing is a buttress against a fate you’re trying to avoid (i.e., death)If you aren’t “assured” of survival, virtually everything you’re doing is a buttress against a fate you’re trying to avoid (i.e., death)

It’s the difference between tossing a cupcake to a starving man, who eats it without hesitation – without thought – because he instinctively avoids oblivion, and tossing one to someone who’s well- fed and therefore can make an intelligent decision regarding the cupcakeIt’s the difference between tossing a cupcake to a starving man, who eats it without hesitation – without thought – because he instinctively avoids oblivion, and tossing one to someone who’s well- fed and therefore can make an intelligent decision regarding the cupcake In this sense, the things our characters convince themselves they need tend to influence negative, powerless approaches to existence rather than positive, proactive ones; they stunt their own growthIn this sense, the things our characters convince themselves they need tend to influence negative, powerless approaches to existence rather than positive, proactive ones; they stunt their own growth

You’ll find that both are important over the course of your lifetime – and that some of your relationships are harder to classifyYou’ll find that both are important over the course of your lifetime – and that some of your relationships are harder to classify Let’s say negative-consequence relationships belong more to the province of “macro” relationships – bonds between nations, between companies, between people who compete for leadership positions, and so on – while positive- consequence relationships will tend to be the friendships you pursue consciouslyLet’s say negative-consequence relationships belong more to the province of “macro” relationships – bonds between nations, between companies, between people who compete for leadership positions, and so on – while positive- consequence relationships will tend to be the friendships you pursue consciously The key, then, is to prevent your friendships from becoming negative ones – I hang out with Person X because it’s easy vs. I hang out with Person X because I don’t want to face the consequences of not being with themThe key, then, is to prevent your friendships from becoming negative ones – I hang out with Person X because it’s easy vs. I hang out with Person X because I don’t want to face the consequences of not being with them

Winston, interestingly, seems to have hybrid relationships!Winston, interestingly, seems to have hybrid relationships! –You can say that he’s loyal to Julia because he loves her, but he never states it –You can say that he “wants Julia to happen” because he desires her physically –But it’s also easy to see how Winston treats Julia like the starving man treats the cupcake –She gives him a reason to live, implying that without her, he’d go back to the slightly suicidal pattern of behavior he’d established earlier in the book Does Winston keep spending time with Julia because he loves her, or because he can’t bear the thought of being alone again after he’s had a taste of “the good life” as it’s defined in Orwell’s universe – i.e., life as an actual human being?Does Winston keep spending time with Julia because he loves her, or because he can’t bear the thought of being alone again after he’s had a taste of “the good life” as it’s defined in Orwell’s universe – i.e., life as an actual human being?

The fact that we even consider this question is a testament to how badly the Party warps human beingsThe fact that we even consider this question is a testament to how badly the Party warps human beings The Party operates based on a series of negative consequences obsessively repurposed as positives – to the point that history must be changed to justify the lies the Party tellsThe Party operates based on a series of negative consequences obsessively repurposed as positives – to the point that history must be changed to justify the lies the Party tells –(We’ll wonder about whether Orwell argues that positive-consequence or negative-consequence relationships last longer at the end of this section)

Orwell then goes on to make a comparison between approaches to maintaining power – since that seems to be the Party’s endgame, regardless of whether it’s a fundamentally positive or negative one – from different periods of human historyOrwell then goes on to make a comparison between approaches to maintaining power – since that seems to be the Party’s endgame, regardless of whether it’s a fundamentally positive or negative one – from different periods of human history Party vs. Inquisition vs. TotalitariansParty vs. Inquisition vs. Totalitarians

InquisitionInquisition –Created martyrs –Thou shalt not –Actions – No –Thoughts – No –Building a Better World

TotalitariansTotalitarians –Avoided creating martyrs (except when doing so served a greater purpose) –Thou shalt –Actions – Yes –Thoughts – No –Building a Better World

PartyParty –Avoids creating martyrs (except when doing so serves a greater purpose) –Thou art –Actions – Yes –Thoughts – Yes –Pulling Heaven Down

The Party’s behavior suggests a extremely cynical view of humanity – that while we profess to be positive and outwardly-focused beings, at our core we’re willing to surrender everything just to stay safe…or even just to surviveThe Party’s behavior suggests a extremely cynical view of humanity – that while we profess to be positive and outwardly-focused beings, at our core we’re willing to surrender everything just to stay safe…or even just to survive Moreover, we can’t bring ourselves to recognize this independently because we prefer to think of ourselves differentlyMoreover, we can’t bring ourselves to recognize this independently because we prefer to think of ourselves differently

Therefore, the Party frames things in language that expresses itself in terms of what we want to want – positive things – while reducing us to our basest desire (self-perpetuation, even in the negative abstract) and sparing nothing elseTherefore, the Party frames things in language that expresses itself in terms of what we want to want – positive things – while reducing us to our basest desire (self-perpetuation, even in the negative abstract) and sparing nothing else It’s interesting that the desire for self-perpetuation – so powerfully independent – is nurtured and used to sustain the Party rather than eliminatedIt’s interesting that the desire for self-perpetuation – so powerfully independent – is nurtured and used to sustain the Party rather than eliminated

But this points back to a realization Winston reaches about the Party’s attitude towards the things it can’t killBut this points back to a realization Winston reaches about the Party’s attitude towards the things it can’t kill –It can’t kill human sexuality – so it makes it toxic –It can’t kill the desire for family life and family structure – so it subverts its original purpose and turns it against itself In this same fashion, it can’t kill the human desire to survive – so what does it do?In this same fashion, it can’t kill the human desire to survive – so what does it do? –It reshapes it

O’Brien describes relationships between people and bodies (think the Brotherhood or the Party) in terms of cells and organsO’Brien describes relationships between people and bodies (think the Brotherhood or the Party) in terms of cells and organs This gets down to the foundation of individualism, for a cell doesn’t desire existence over the organ – and that attitude has to be conditioned into a human beingThis gets down to the foundation of individualism, for a cell doesn’t desire existence over the organ – and that attitude has to be conditioned into a human being If it can convince you that the Party is more important than the individual – that life is impermanent and the Party is immortal – then it winsIf it can convince you that the Party is more important than the individual – that life is impermanent and the Party is immortal – then it wins

What the Party ends up doing is removing the conscious desire for survival by shoving it into the unconscious/subconscious/instinctive part of the brainWhat the Party ends up doing is removing the conscious desire for survival by shoving it into the unconscious/subconscious/instinctive part of the brain This means that, in essence, the Party can never kill it because it’s now out of reachThis means that, in essence, the Party can never kill it because it’s now out of reach Simultaneously, the Party replaces the conscious desire for self-perpetuation in people like Parsons with the conscious desire for the Party’s self- perpetuationSimultaneously, the Party replaces the conscious desire for self-perpetuation in people like Parsons with the conscious desire for the Party’s self- perpetuation

You convince yourself a) that sacrifice is noble, b) that you’re making a sacrifice voluntarily for the good of the whole, and that c) this therefore confers individual nobility upon yourselfYou convince yourself a) that sacrifice is noble, b) that you’re making a sacrifice voluntarily for the good of the whole, and that c) this therefore confers individual nobility upon yourself In actuality, the Party has made you into a being whose every action somehow perpetuates the organ while starving the cell – repurposing the survival instinct to fuel itself rather than its populationIn actuality, the Party has made you into a being whose every action somehow perpetuates the organ while starving the cell – repurposing the survival instinct to fuel itself rather than its population

It’s not a flattering picture of humanity, and many people resist the idea that they’d react in the same wayIt’s not a flattering picture of humanity, and many people resist the idea that they’d react in the same way One wonders if these things Orwell writes about are really at the core of who we are – if the Party’s behavior is accurate – or if human beings are fundamentally better, or at least more complicatedOne wonders if these things Orwell writes about are really at the core of who we are – if the Party’s behavior is accurate – or if human beings are fundamentally better, or at least more complicated

For this, we have to look at what threatens the PartyFor this, we have to look at what threatens the Party Compassion seems to be a threat to them, as indicated by Winston’s experiences in the Ministry of Love – and while love and sex are obvious threats for the reasons Julia describes, compassion is somewhat trickierCompassion seems to be a threat to them, as indicated by Winston’s experiences in the Ministry of Love – and while love and sex are obvious threats for the reasons Julia describes, compassion is somewhat trickier

Why kill compassion if it helps perpetuate the workforce?Why kill compassion if it helps perpetuate the workforce? Perhaps the Party’s attitude reflects a belief that compassion is fundamentally ingrained in human beings, just as the aforementioned desires for love and sex are – but while the other two can be repurposed to serve the party instead of killedPerhaps the Party’s attitude reflects a belief that compassion is fundamentally ingrained in human beings, just as the aforementioned desires for love and sex are – but while the other two can be repurposed to serve the party instead of killed

In this sense, the Party reverts to Inquisition-level tactics – Thou shalt not – which indicates that this truly is one of its weak spotsIn this sense, the Party reverts to Inquisition-level tactics – Thou shalt not – which indicates that this truly is one of its weak spots It’s the secret to why the proles need to be kept as stupid drones – because they feel, and the Party lacks the power to kill feeling on that large a scaleIt’s the secret to why the proles need to be kept as stupid drones – because they feel, and the Party lacks the power to kill feeling on that large a scale It can only use ignorance as a stop-gap measureIt can only use ignorance as a stop-gap measure As long as the proles are willing to be stupid – it is easier in the short term – the Party is safeAs long as the proles are willing to be stupid – it is easier in the short term – the Party is safe

Ironically, the thing that would inspire the proles to rise up is if they felt aggrieved – is if they realized what was being done to all of them, and reactedIronically, the thing that would inspire the proles to rise up is if they felt aggrieved – is if they realized what was being done to all of them, and reacted As a result, the Party’s minimal interventions in the lives of the proles serve a dual purposeAs a result, the Party’s minimal interventions in the lives of the proles serve a dual purpose –They remove dangerous individuals in a precise and surgical way, which allows the Party to avoid over- extending itself (relative to its resources) –They don’t seem to be a big part of the proles’ lives, and therefore avoid the anger that the commoners re-direct at each other

Ultimately, arguments about human beings as “fundamentally bad” run into the gray areas of instincts that run the gamut from base to nobleUltimately, arguments about human beings as “fundamentally bad” run into the gray areas of instincts that run the gamut from base to noble –“Caring is a reflex. Someone slips, your arm goes out. A car is in the ditch, you join the others and push...You live, you help.” – Ram Dass Even in the Ministry of Love – when humans are reduced to the lowest of the low – it takes a long time to break compassion; prisoners even instinctively seek it in their captorsEven in the Ministry of Love – when humans are reduced to the lowest of the low – it takes a long time to break compassion; prisoners even instinctively seek it in their captors So perhaps we’re better than the Party gives us credit for – which is why it has to try to ruin us in order to stay in powerSo perhaps we’re better than the Party gives us credit for – which is why it has to try to ruin us in order to stay in power

Since the Party can’t fully ruin human beings, it seems content to force them into a fundamentally awful choice – obliterate yourself as yourself, or survive as something unlike youSince the Party can’t fully ruin human beings, it seems content to force them into a fundamentally awful choice – obliterate yourself as yourself, or survive as something unlike you –Intelligence and Emotion –Survival vs. Oblivion ParsonsParsons WinstonWinston Is it worthwhile for Winston to keep breathing once he’s sustaining a body instead of a soul?Is it worthwhile for Winston to keep breathing once he’s sustaining a body instead of a soul?

Let’s look at some necessary conditions for survivalLet’s look at some necessary conditions for survival –Ability to think –Ability to feel –Sustenance and Air –Anything else? Watch as the Party strips these away, one by oneWatch as the Party strips these away, one by one –We’re not left with survival (meaningful existence), but survival (self-perpetuation of cells and organs)

Ultimately, we’re confronted with our three concerns from the beginning – the costs of living, believing, and lovingUltimately, we’re confronted with our three concerns from the beginning – the costs of living, believing, and loving We see that they’re deeply interrelated, and that each of them comes back to issues of internal power vs. external controls (i.e., how much control you’re willing to surrender in order to get what you want)We see that they’re deeply interrelated, and that each of them comes back to issues of internal power vs. external controls (i.e., how much control you’re willing to surrender in order to get what you want)

The cost of loving – here – may be survival or controlThe cost of loving – here – may be survival or control –Are the benefits worth the sacrifice? The cost of believing – here – is control and philosophyThe cost of believing – here – is control and philosophy –Are these the components of the human soul? The cost of living – here – is control and beliefThe cost of living – here – is control and belief –Are the benefits worth the sacrifice?

It’s hard to tell how Orwell wants us to thinkIt’s hard to tell how Orwell wants us to think That’s probably best, for it’s time we looked at other conditions for survivalThat’s probably best, for it’s time we looked at other conditions for survival –Certainty? –Truth? –Is it more important for things to be true, or for us to believe they are?

Pyrrho was an ancient philosopher, one of the forefathers of modern skepticismPyrrho was an ancient philosopher, one of the forefathers of modern skepticism –He avoided stating that anything was inherently true, consistently advocating contrary positions as an intellectual exercise –He saw “both sides” – more realistically, multiple sides – of everything –In other words, he avoided the concept of truth entirely – except, perhaps, to state that the only truth in the universe is that nothing is black-and-white true

Is he crazy? How can a person lead such a skeptical existence without exhausting himself?Is he crazy? How can a person lead such a skeptical existence without exhausting himself? There’s a certain certainty in a system predicated on chaosThere’s a certain certainty in a system predicated on chaos After all, is Pyrrho far from the truth by proclaiming there is none – or has he found the only thing we can count on?After all, is Pyrrho far from the truth by proclaiming there is none – or has he found the only thing we can count on?

Orwell isn’t necessarily following the Pyrrhonic tradition any more than I doOrwell isn’t necessarily following the Pyrrhonic tradition any more than I do At the end of a day spent urging you to consider all sides before making an ultimate judgment – itself a violation of Pyrrhonic thought – I usually pick a position I like best, although I often try to make sure I understand the opposing position(s) thoroughlyAt the end of a day spent urging you to consider all sides before making an ultimate judgment – itself a violation of Pyrrhonic thought – I usually pick a position I like best, although I often try to make sure I understand the opposing position(s) thoroughly –Orwell’s writing follows the same pattern

Perhaps there’s another condition for survival: memoryPerhaps there’s another condition for survival: memory –A great fear – the loss of memory  the loss of self –Does the past exist? –Can we have anything without the power to think, learn, remember, and grow? –Is the freedom to think, then, the highest of all human freedoms?

You must surrender those freedoms in order to survive in OceaniaYou must surrender those freedoms in order to survive in Oceania It’s a truly evil bargain, and there’s not an easy choiceIt’s a truly evil bargain, and there’s not an easy choice Either way…the cost is heavy, isn’t it?Either way…the cost is heavy, isn’t it?