Thomas

Many activists on both the Left and Right now hope to bring about their ideal world the same way a spoiled brat acquires a toy they’ve been denied: by being as loud and hysterical as possible. This is neotoddlerism: the view that utopia can be achieved by acting like a three-year old.

In a world that is completely without rituals and wholly profane, all that is left are consumption and the satisfaction of needs.

I’ve always loved spending time with photographers not because of the way they capture moments or compose shots or manipulate light and angles to construct portraits. It’s not because of the making at all but because of the way photographers can peer into. The way they slow themselves to allow themselves to be pulled into visual situations. Or... See more

As Pablo Picasso once put it: “Everything you can imagine is real.” To which I would add: but only everything you can imagine.

What did Huxley believe would bring about this dystopia? Not a global world order or a charismatic despot: “The change will be brought about as a result of a felt need for increased efficiency.”