Wednesday, August 17, 2016
The World needs its Epsilons
In Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, he writes "Only an Epsilon can be expected to make Epsilon sacrifices" (266). Huxley makes a good point and gives an example. He writes that if the whole world were made of Alphas (people of higher intelligence), then none of them would want the Epsilon (people of lower intelligence) jobs. This would lead to outrage and Huxley even suggests people dying if this were to occur. This can relate to our modern society because there has to be someone doing the "dirty work". Huxley suggests that the Epsilons do it because they are built for the job. In our world, the Epsilons would be people of lower intelligence. They don't have the mental capacity to do jobs such as running a business, therefore, they have to do the "dirty work". Another way it relates to today's society is college. Some people want free college, but if we had too many intellectuals, there wouldn't be anyone to do the dirtier jobs, like feeding smelly animals on a farm. This is an unfortunate truth about the world and there isn't much we can do about it.
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I totally agree with you Nathan about the unfortunate truth about our society regarding the social classes. Thought it is this flaw in our reality that makes us human. We are all different with different and not just because of our levels of intelligence but of our backgrounds. And due to this, that's why people are where they are. That's why there are people doing the "dirty jobs" because some of these people might not be as fortunate as those who live in prestige status. Perhaps they went through hardships which lead them there. There are somethings in life we can not change even if it is the right thing. But that doesn't mean we can not make the most out of it. The people who are doing these "dirty jobs" may be studying in college at the same time or have another job to get better pay and eventually obtain a better lifestyles than their previous one
ReplyDeleteI agree that at some point, someone has to be doing the dirty work that no one else wants. It is parallel with chores around the house in the sense that washing dishes is better than cleaning the toilet. As time goes on, more of the dirty work will be replaced by machines, it's only a matter of time. This way, everyone gets a fair chance at "better" work. The only question is, is whether people will apply themselves to achieve the requirements for "better" jobs.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you brought up this subject, for many people do not have the strength and boldness to do this. I agree with you that we must have a social system where people are destined to become part of a lower social standing. This is something I always think about because now-a-days everyone is going to pursue a degree in higher education at our nation's universities. See, theoretically, people are trying to climb the socioeconomic ladder; however, what happens then everyone is at the top? Will being at the 'top' now be middle class? My main point that I am trying to make is that people will always be at the bottom, middle, or top. Not everyone will and can be successful, for there inequality will sadly always continue.
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