NO MAN IS HIS OWN ISLAND

An analysis of Judeo-Christian Ideology and Capitalism in Aldous Huxley’s Island

Once upon a time in a far away land.. no wait, that’s not right.

It was a dark and stormy night… no, that’s not right either.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Ah yes, yes there it is. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Then, a couple of days later, God said, “Let us make man in our image after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish in the sea, over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth”. And just like that humanity was thrust forth into a downward spiral of domination, over-exploitation and consumption. Of course it is not all that simple: there were many different players, institutions and powers involved. However, the concept that humans are exclusively advanced and thus have a position of privilege on the planet, which has its roots in the Judeo-Christian doctrine, has influenced many factors of human life and society; it has served as form of social control, has influenced Western legal systems and finally, and most importantly for the purpose of this paper, has enabled the capitalist economic system to succeed on a global scale (Oller 2009: 19). The moral basis of free-market capitalism has its roots in the values of self-interest and economic freedom stemming from the Judeo-Christian belief that humans must dominate nature and its inhabitants. (Rae & Wong 2009: 220). The language set forth thousands of years ago continues to impact societal norms and beliefs today. Specifically, ideologies surrounding the human-nature relationship have been formed in accordance with this doctrine resulting in a hegemony which almost innately posits that humans are not only separate from nature but that nature exists purely for human consumption and this sovereignty is more than a right, it is an obligation to God (Hinchliffe 2010: 19). In the global capitalist system, nature is mainly conceptualized as a commodity: something to be extracted from the environment, sent through the production process and finally, bought and sold in the marketplace. There are various issues and contradictions inherent in this system including, but not limited to, resultant greed from individuals prioritizing their own self-interest, unjust distributions of wealth and inequality on a global scale eventually leading to the rich accumulating most of the wealth and the poor getting poorer, and finally, it encourages and depends upon constant consumption (Rae & Wong 2009: 216-217). As a cultural result, consumption becomes a means of self-identification whereby consumers accumulate material goods in attempts to fill social, psychological and spiritual voids (Soron 2010: 173). The ecological result: mass degradation of our environment, industrial pollution, deforestation, loss of biodiversity and climate change (Soron 2010:172).

Critiques of the coalescence of the Judeo-Christian ideology and capitalism are common in the modern age and are offered by academics, economists, philosophers and artists alike. In fact, many prominent figures have forewarned the dangers of overconsumption as a result of industrialization, modernism and globalization which, essentially, is the spread of the capitalist socio-economic system and thus, consumer culture (Igoe 2004: 1). Aldous Huxley, one of the prominent intellectuals of the 20th century, was one such individual. In his last novel, Island, Huxley uses the protagonist Will Farnaby’s journey-to-self-discovery on the forbidden island of Pala to critique Western capitalist consumer culture and the human-nature relationships that have arisen from the Judeo-Christian belief system. Specifically, Huxley targets mass consumption, militarization, industrialization and modernism. Through his description of the island and its inhabitants he offers an alternative to this system, one that combines Eastern philosophy and Western science and technology. This society merges humanism, universalism, Buddhist and Hindu perspectives, biocentrism and hybrid natures to consciously construct a culture in which cooperation and compassion aid in sustainable consumption. Although Pala is considered by many to be a utopia, the myriad dimensions of its created culture are closely related to, and often overlap with, solutions offered by many philosophers, geographers, anthropologists and social scientists who have studied the human-nature relationship in terms of the Judeo-Christian ideology and resultant capitalist world-economic system. The purpose of this paper is to acknowledge real issues with our current social and economic system through the science-fiction novel Island and offer possible real-life solutions through an analysis of the author’s suggestions in terms of a consciously constructed culture.

In Huxley’s last novel, Island, English journalist Will Farnaby risks his life attempting to arrive in Pala, a forbidden island in the Southeast Pacific. His boss, Lord Aldehyde, owns a major newspaper in England as well as the South East Petroleum Company. Aldehyde has bribed Will with 2,000 pounds and a year of freedom to forge an agreement on behalf of S.E. Petroleum with the Palanese government granting S.E. Petrol rights to Pala’s oil reserves. Consumed with the idea of not having to work, Will departs on a mission of complete self-interest. After a violent crash in which his boat is demolished, he climbs a tall, slippery and snake-covered precipice until ultimately, he reaches the top and collapses. He is awoken by the words, “Attention, attention,” being called from a mynah bird and two small Palanese children, Mary Sarojini and Tom Krishna. After a brief interaction and explanation of the bird’s repetitive call, the children bring their grandfather to provide aid. Will is granted permission to remain on the island temporarily while he heals under the supervision of Dr. Robert MacPhail and Mary and Tom’s mother, Susila MacPhail. During his month in Pala Will is confronted with questions of the self as well as society. Immersed in Palanese culture, Will learns the myriad benefits of a society which focuses on humanism, biocentrism, sustainable consumption and universalism while simultaneously embarking on a journey of self-understanding and discovery. There are two outlets for this new understanding: Will reads Notes on What’s What, and What It Might be Reasonable to do about What's What, the Palanese doctrine written by the Old Raja which outlines how the Palanese achieve self-actualization through making the best of all worlds, Eastern, Western, both realized and unrealized. He then tours the island with Dr. Robert, visiting Pala’s main institutions such as the Agricultural Experimental Station and the educational system. All the while, Mr. Farnaby is in contact with the island’s rulers; the Rani, granddaughter of the Old Raja, and her son, Murugan. The Rani, a Christian fundamentalist, wishes to sell Pala’s oil to Aldehyde in exchange for funding her religious movement, The Crusade of the Spirit. Her son has ulterior motives: he wishes to modernize Pala for his own self-interests of materialism and consumerism. They include Will in their plans to industrialize Pala with the help of Colonel Dipa, the dictator of the neighboring island Rendang Lobo. As Will experiences self-actualization and healing through Pala’s culture he empathizes more with Pala natives, eventually coming to understand the danger and idiocy in the Western capitalist socio-economic system and its partner, the Judeo-Christian belief system. By the time he realizes he is working for the wrong side, however, it is too late. The story ends with Will experiencing what he describes as eternity and complete knowledge through the moshka-medicine, a dose of psilocybin. This is a normal practices for most Palanese citizens and aids in their understanding of oneness. In the midst of his revelation, Will hears Murugan’s voice over a loudspeaker instructing citizens to remain calm and welcome the incoming military personnel. The young Raja announces the nation’s new status as the United Kingdom of Rendang and Pala, claiming himself as monarch and Colonel Dipa as Prime Minister. Will and Susila hear gunshots fired at Dr. Robert’s house and though it is not laid out for the reader, it is clear that Pala has officially submitted to globalization, capitalism and industrialism. As the tanks roll on, a mynah bird calls in the distance, “Attention”.

Huxley juxtaposes Western Judeo-Christian capitalist consumerism and Eastern religious and philosophical ideology through the relationship between the ruling class of Pala (Murugan and the Rani) and it’s every day citizens (Susila and Dr. Robert, among others). The relationship between the Rani and Murugan serves as a metaphor for the relationship between the Judeo-Christian ideology and the capitalist socio-economic system. The Rani is a Christian fundamentalist who insists God instructed her to use Pala’s resources for the security and success of the Crusade of the Spirit, a religious movement she started to restore purity to the Palanese (Huxley 1962: 63). This thought processes stems from the separation made in the bible between humans and the rest of the earth. In Geographies of Nature, Steven Hinchliffe posits that this separation of humans and nature is at the root of environmental exploitation: all that is not man-made is “nature” which is thus subject to the control and domination of humans (2010: 21).  During the Renaissance this ideology was expanded through  the rise of Calvinism and Protestantism which both asserted that not only was it God’s will for humans to make use of and control nature- it was his will for them to be economically successful as a result of this domination. Therefore, the commodification of natural resources and the wholesale of nature to capitalize and profit was human’s obligation to God (Rae & Wong 2009:209).  The Rani is a perfect example of the ways in which the Judeo-Christian ideology aided in the creation and spread of free-market capitalism as she uses God’s desires to support and justify the exploitation of Pala’s resources to further her personal religious and economic agenda. Murugan, the Rani’s son, represents free-market capitalism whose ideas and strength are drawn from the Judeo-Christian scriptures (Heinsohn 1962: 256). Raised and educated in Europe, the young Raja’s perception of reality was heavily influenced by the Judeo-Christian ideology as well as Western culture. His obsession with Western culture, fast cars, clothing catalogues and militarization may be linked to a lack of spiritual and social fulfillment. In his article, Sustainability, Self-Identity and the Sociology of Consumption Dennis Soron critiques modern consumption as an attempt to fill spiritual, psychological and social voids (2010: 173). Murugan’s status as elite, his European upbringing and condemnation for all things Palanese could conceivably create a sense of isolation, resulting in a need to fill himself and identify through consumption of material goods. Furthermore, Murugan wishes to industrialize and modernize Pala and commodifying the nation’s oil seems a common sensical place to start. This is reminiscent of William Cronon’s conceptualizations of nature as nature as a commodity and nature as virtual reality. The line between these two concepts is blurred when the idea of nature as a commodity becomes so comfortable that it seems common sensical, universal and natural (Cronon 1996:46). His desires to destroy Pala’s culture by adopting Western social, cultural and economic systems is a hint at the shortcomings of globalization. Huxley uses this to critique globalization’s homogenizing effects.

Huxley uses the mother-son pair to symbolize the ways in which the Judeo-Christian ideology birthed the capitalist world economic system. The author critiques this system by juxtaposing it with Palanese culture: a consciously constructed society which combines aspects from the East and West to produce a peaceful, sustainable society in which humans are able to reach self-actualization. This process began decades before Will landed on the island when Dr. Robert’s grandfather, Dr. Andrew MacPhail, was brought to the island to perform surgery on the Old Raja. The two became very close after the procedure and their unlikely bond evolved into a partnership which revolutionized Pala within one generation. Their reform introduced Western biology, technology and psychology and coalesced it with Eastern Mahayana Buddhism. As a rule Pala has no military and their economic system doesn’t allow any individual to become more than five times as wealthy as the average citizen. Their political system is a federation of self-governing units, resources are commonly owned and operated, and there is no established church. Palanese citizens work on a part-time basis to ensure maximum human satisfaction, rather than mechanical efficiency (Huxley 1962: 178-182). The Agricultural Experimental Station was built at an elevation of 7000 ft, creating a fertile, Mediterranean environment similar to that of South Europe. They also make use of genetically modified foods to make better crops and avoid hunger. The Palanese only produce what they need and import necessities they cannot make. Necessities are limited to not what they can afford but what makes them happy. The economy as a whole is adapted to human needs rather than adapting humans to economic needs (Huxley 1962: 170-191). This is a direct contrast with capitalism and globalization which requires constant surpluses. Birth control is government-funded and equally distributed to all members of society and sex is experienced with the entire body through tantric yoga. Artificial insemination is often, though not always, used to avoid undesirable traits and diseases and ensure the wellbeing of those children being born. Once born, children undergo a series of psychological and physical evaluations and treated accordingly. If someone exhibits aggression, they will be given creative and positive outlets for that aggression and so on (Huxley 1962: 185). Children are taught that gods are a human creation that all things are connected in a cosmic cycle, and that nature, god and humans are all the same thing. Furthermore, they are regularly prompted to notice their feelings and desires and how those feelings and desires affect the outside world. The Palanese give their children a simultaneous “training in perceiving and imagining, a training in applied physiology and psychology, a training in practical ethics and practical religion, a training in the proper use of self-knowledge. In a word, a training of the whole mind-body in all its aspects” (Huxley 1962: 256). From a young age, Palanese are taught a holistic worldview in which all aspects of life are in relation to one another. As they come to age, youths are given the moshka-medicine and given a lesson in acceptance, receptivity, and analysis and symbol manipulation. According to Buddhist beliefs suffering is inevitable but Palanese avoid unnecessary suffering through meditation they refer to as “destiny control”. They practice preventative medicine and doctors are paid to keep people healthy (Huxley 1962: 78). The Palanese people are bio centric in that they believe biology to be the driving force of the universe however, the theory in and of itself is not enough: theories must be put into practice. The Palanese make use of hybrid natures through their combined philosophies of humanism and Buddhism: humanism is a form of philosophy which places humanity at the center, displacing god, nature and all other deities (Hinchliffe 2010: 31) while Buddhism claims that nature is separate from humans but respected as a whole. In Pala, all is “separate. And yet all one” (Huxley 1962:  267) Pala’s consciously constructed culture offers an alternative model to capitalist consumption patterns:  In his critique of Western over-consumption, Soron claims the solution lies in sustainable models which have the capacity to transform context and material intensity of everyday consumption practices and challenge the powerlessness people feel as individual consumers by reconstructing a social, collective and non-commodified basis for personal identity (2010: 180). This is, in a nutshell, what Pala has attempted.

Although there are some holes in the argument for Pala’s consciously constructed culture, the combination of biology, technology, compassion and spirituality seems like the best place to start when considering solutions to the unsustainability of Western capitalist society and its spread across the world through globalization. And while history has been written with a Judeo-Christian pen that supports degradaing our environment for profits the future is for those who see beyond the ancient ideologies. Goodness may be viewed by the powerful as weakness but, in the wise words of a Palanese citizen, “One has to run the risk, one has to make a beginning. And luckily no one is immortal. The people who’ve been conditioned to swindling and bullying and bitterness will all be dead in a few years. Dead, and replaced by men and women brought up in the new way. It happened with us; it can happen with you” (Huxley 1962: 235). The influence of artists, economists, academics and philosophers alike has made a dent in the hegemony of Judeo-Christian ideology and capitalism that will continue into the future. Aldous Huxley used his last novel as a critique of this system and offered, instead, a possible alternative; a world where children are used neither for consumption or the continuation of the state, where happiness and oneness are at the basis of all societal structures. The novel may end with the destruction of Pala’s utopian society through industrialization, militarization and capitalism but the story… the story certainly does not.

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