Rethinking Orwell: Relevance of His Ideas Today

  • News
  • Thread starter FZ+
  • Start date
In summary, the conversation discusses the relevance of George Orwell's ideas and writings in today's society. Orwell believed in the existence of a "dissident left" separate from the "official left" and saw parallels between British Labour and Stalin's Communist Party in terms of manipulation of the masses for their own power. He also predicted the potential for fascism to resurface despite the defeat of the Axis powers. The article argues that technology, particularly the internet, has made social control easier and government agencies are actively rewriting history to serve their own agendas. The conversation also mentions Bush's use of doublespeak and the concept of doublethink. Overall, the conversation suggests that Orwell's ideas are still relevant in modern society.
  • #1
FZ+
1,604
3
How much relevance does Orwell have today?
http://books.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,12084,948203,00.html [Broken]

Orwell thought of himself as a member of the "dissident left," as distinguished from the "official left," meaning basically the British Labour party, most of which he had come, well before the second world war, to regard as potentially, if not already, fascist. More or less consciously, he found an analogy between British Labour and the Communist Party under Stalin - both, he felt, were movements professing to fight for the working classes against capitalism, but in reality concerned only with establishing and perpetuating their own power. The masses were only there to be used for their idealism, their class resentments, their willingness to work cheap and to be sold out, again and again.
Orwell seems to have been particularly annoyed with the widespread allegiance to Stalinism to be observed among the Left, in the face of overwhelming evidence of the evil nature of the regime. "For somewhat complex reasons," he wrote in March of 1948, early in the revision of the first draft of 1984 , "nearly the whole of the English left has been driven to accept the Russian regime as 'Socialist,' while silently recognising that its spirit and practice are quite alien to anything that is meant by 'Socialism' in this country. Hence there has arisen a sort of schizophrenic manner of thinking, in which words like 'democracy' can bear two irreconcilable meanings, and such things as concentration camps and mass deportations can be right and wrong simultaneously."
Well, yes and no. Specific predictions are only details, after all. What is perhaps more important, indeed necessary, to a working prophet, is to be able to see deeper than most of us into the human soul. Orwell in 1948 understood that despite the Axis defeat, the will to fascism had not gone away, that far from having seen its day it had perhaps not yet even come into its own - the corruption of spirit, the irresistible human addiction to power were already long in place, all well-known aspects of the Third Reich and Stalin's USSR, even the British Labour party - like first drafts of a terrible future. What could prevent the same thing from happening to Britain and the United States? Moral superiority? Good intentions? Clean living?
What has steadily, insidiously improved since then, of course, making humanist arguments almost irrelevant, is the technology. We must not be too distracted by the clunkiness of the means of surveillance current in Winston Smith's era. In "our" 1984, after all, the integrated circuit chip was less than a decade old, and almost embarrassingly primitive next to the wonders of computer technology circa 2003, most notably the internet, a development that promises social control on a scale those quaint old 20th-century tyrants with their goofy moustaches could only dream about.
The interests of the regime in Oceania lie in the exercise of power for its own sake, in its unrelenting war on memory, desire, and language as a vehicle of thought. Memory is relatively easy to deal with, from the totalitarian point of view. There is always some agency like the Ministry of Truth to deny the memories of others, to rewrite the past. It has become a commonplace, circa 2003, for government employees to be paid more than most of the rest of us to debase history, trivialise truth and annihilate the past on a daily basis. Those who don't learn from history used to have to relive it, but only until those in power could find a way to convince everybody, including themselves, that history never happened, or happened in a way best serving their own purposes - or best of all that it doesn't matter anyway, except as some dumbed-down TV documentary cobbled together for an hour's entertainment.

Read the full article. It might actually make sense...
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #2
Well, we certainly know that Bush is versed in doublespeak.
 
  • #3
I don't think Orwell has so much relevance. He was a decent writer though and an anti-authoritarian socialist, which isn't bad.
 
  • #4
Originally posted by Zero
Well, we certainly know that Bush is versed in doublespeak.
Thats how you have to talk to democrats who are experts at doublethink.

FZ+, I'll get to that article eventually...
 
  • #5
Yeah... the point of the article is that Orwell feels we all practice doublethink.
 

What are some of George Orwell's most well-known ideas?

George Orwell is best known for his ideas on totalitarianism, surveillance, and propaganda. He also wrote extensively about the dangers of censorship and the importance of language in shaping our thoughts and perceptions.

Why is it important to rethink Orwell's ideas today?

Orwell's ideas are still relevant today because many of the issues he wrote about, such as government control, media manipulation, and the erosion of privacy, are still prevalent in modern society. By rethinking his ideas, we can gain new insights and perspectives on these ongoing issues.

How has the concept of "Big Brother" evolved since Orwell's time?

In Orwell's novel 1984, "Big Brother" is portrayed as a government figurehead who exercises complete control over the citizens through surveillance and manipulation. Today, the term is often used to refer to powerful corporations or governments that collect and use personal data for their own agendas.

What are some examples of Orwell's ideas being reflected in contemporary society?

There are many examples of Orwell's ideas being reflected in contemporary society, such as the use of technology for surveillance and control, the spread of fake news and propaganda through media outlets, and the erosion of privacy rights in the name of national security.

How can we apply Orwell's ideas to current issues and challenges?

By reexamining Orwell's ideas, we can gain a better understanding of the complex issues and challenges facing our society today. We can also use his insights to inform and guide our actions, whether it be advocating for privacy rights or questioning the motives behind media narratives.

Similar threads

  • General Discussion
Replies
14
Views
3K
  • Art, Music, History, and Linguistics
Replies
11
Views
1K
  • Art, Music, History, and Linguistics
Replies
1
Views
1K
Replies
3
Views
5K
  • General Discussion
Replies
4
Views
605
  • General Discussion
Replies
4
Views
5K
Replies
15
Views
3K
Replies
16
Views
2K
  • Programming and Computer Science
Replies
29
Views
2K
Replies
10
Views
2K
Back
Top