William Ramsey Investigates Orwell & Huxley, Part 3 on Vyzygoth's Clubhouse. From the Vyzygoth Archives.
Nov 28, 2025
Join John Bonanno, a longform interviewer and commentator known for his insights on Huxley and Orwell, as he dives deep into their contrasting visions of the future. They explore how contemporary society reflects Huxley's allure of comfort over Orwellian terror. Discussions unfold on the role of economic crises in compliance, and Huxley's belief in perpetual crisis as a means for control. Bonanno also addresses Huxley's philosophical conflicts, ties to the Bloomsbury Group, and his late-life focus on consciousness expansion. It's a thought-provoking journey through literary history and modern implications.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Complementary Models Of Social Control
- Orwell and Huxley show complementary mechanisms of control rather than opposing visions.
- John Bonanno argues elites will use both Orwellian terror and Huxleyan pleasure as needed to retain power.
Huxley’s Methods Appear Today
- Huxley foresaw a system using programming, drugs, and genetic control to keep people content in their roles.
- Bonanno sees more Huxley-like conditions in the contemporary United States than Orwellian terror.
Crisis Justifies Permanent Control
- Permanent crisis justifies permanent control, a point Huxley emphasized as a route to diminished liberty.
- Bonanno links continuous crisis rhetoric to modern governance and corporate capture of state power.
