Chapter 17

"'What about self-denial, then? If you had a God , you'd have a reason for self-denial.'" Pg. 236

     In Chapter 17, a intellectual debate begins between Mr. Mond and John. John questions the Controller on the absence of God, the issue of self-degradation, and chastity, among other things. For each question, the Controller essentially says that the new world has no need for that concern because everything is stable the way it is. When John counters, the ultimate logic is that the World State has chosen a society where stability and happiness are valued over nobility and independence. This decision must have be heavily influenced by the Nine Year's War. The people must have been so scarred by the horrors of war that no abstract old world emotion will cause them to change. Such is the nature of war. Fortunately, nothing like that war has taken place. Had it occured, Huxley would look like a prophet of old times.