Author
Halit Ahmet Çiftçi
Publication Place
Recep Tayyip Erdogan University -
Recep Tayyip Erdogan University
Subject
Rize Journal of Theology, 2023-04 (23), p.95-108
Type
kitap
Language
Arabic
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Library
Leitir Library
Library Asset ID
EISSN: 2980-0331, DOI: 10.32950/rid.1260518
Record ID
cdi_doaj_primary_oai_doaj_org_article_564fdfc707df4090ac92ae4e57702df8
Library Location
DOAJ Directory of Open Access Journals
Notes
It is a known fact that Western writers, from the most devout Christian to the most ardent anti-Christian, frequently include religious phenomena in their works. XX. Brave New World, written by Aldous Huxley, one of the most important dystopian writers of the century, is a fiction that attracts attention with its religious references, both openly made and skillfully hidden in the subtext. F.S. (After Ford) Set in a World State in 632, the novel predicts the future of psychological manipulation, sleep learning, classical conditioning and scientific advances in reproductive technologies. In a society where the family has completely disappeared, individuals reproduced in laboratories with reproductive technologies are divided into classes such as alpha, beta, gamma, delta, epsilon, similar to the Hindu caste system, and are employed according to their classes. The society, where religion, science, art, literature and philosophy have long since disappeared into the dusty pages of history, has taken on a completely hedonistic identity with individuals who engage in random relationships in pursuit of pleasure and use a drug called soma. The World State was divided into ten separate regions and a governor-like administrator was appointed to head each region. The area outside the World State is called the Wild Region, and people in this region still live tribal life. In his fiction, Huxley introduced the figure of a god who expresses himself through absence and created Solidarity Rites that aim to worship this god and spiritually integrate with him. These rites share common phenomena with genuine religious beliefs and rituals, such as Jewish Merkava mysticism, ancient Greek and Anatolian orgy rituals, the Christian Bread-Wine Rite, and the Vedic drug soma. Common to all these rites are the phenomenon of "numinous", which the famous German theologian and philosopher Rudolf Otto defines as "the experience of the sacred", and the phenomenon of "mysterium tremendum" (trembling mystery), which is the object to which the "numinous" consciousness is directed. Huxley envisioned a system in which there was no religion in the traditional sense, but which nevertheless replaced religion. This system ensures the continuation of social order and security and strengthens the bonds of solidarity and brotherhood between people who pursue the common ideal of being one with the god of the world state and also with Ford, the Messiah. Therefore, this system is actually the religion of Brave New World in terms of fulfilling the social and psychological function of religion. Huxley also references the Bible and some other books about religion. In a world where all religions have been eliminated, the Bible is projected as an ancient religious text known only to the rulers of the World State. The Bible is kept in a safe and is not shown to anyone. Huxley also refers to the important philosopher and psychologist William James's work The Varieties of Religious Experience. Another work he mentioned is the book De Imitatione Christi (The Imitation of Christ), compiled by Thomas à Kempis and read by Christians for personal and spiritual development. In this study, the most prominent religious phenomena in Aldous Huxley's fiction, from the Eucharist in Christianity to the soma in Hinduism, will be revealed and these phenomena will be examined using the methods of history of religions and phenomenology of religion. This study aims to be an exemplary study for religious scholars in reading the subtexts of dystopia, utopia and anti-utopia works, in which phenomena such as world religion, deus otiosus (stable god), savior/Messiah have an important place.
Detaylı Başlık
Distopya Edebiyatında Dini Fenomenler ve Referanslar - Aldous Huxley’nin Cesur Yeni Dünya’sına Fenomenolojik Bir Yaklaşım
