Humanity in the Brave World For years, authors and philosophers have satirized the "perfect" society to incite change. In Brave New World, Aldous Huxley describes a so-called utopian society where everyone is happy. This society is a “controlled environment in which technology has essentially [erased] suffering” (“Brave New World”). A member of this society never needs to be bothered by emotions: “And if anything should go wrong, there is soma” (Huxley 220). Citizens spend their lives sleeping with as many people as they want, taking soma to dull any unpleasant thoughts that arise, and happily working at the jobs they have been conditioned to desire. They are genetically engineered and conditioned to be averse to socially destructive things, such as nature and families. They are trained to enjoy socially beneficial things: “'This is the secret of happiness and virtue: to love what you have to do. All conditioning is aimed at this: to make people love their inevitable social destiny'” (Huxley 16). Citizens operate more like machines and less like humans. Humanity is defined as “the quality of being human” (“Humanity”). For some, humanity refers to the aspects that define a human being: love, compassion and emotions. Huxley satirizes humanity by dehumanizing citizens in the Brave New World society. Huxley erases love from society to satirize humanity. In society, to maintain stability, “'The greatest care is taken to prevent you from loving anyone too much'” (Huxley 237). If you have no loved ones, you have no one to mourn. When a citizen dies, life continues as normal; there is no loss of efficiency. Huxley learned at a young age that grieving a loved one is part of being human: "At the age of 14 Aldous... halfway... faces the difficulties of life in order to enjoy the blessings. Sadness is a distinctive characteristic of a human being: “Despite the sadness, even because of it; for their sadness was the symptom of their love for each other: the three young men were happy” (Huxley 242). Loss is a symptom of love. Huxley knew that it was worth experiencing pain and happiness instead of nothing. Without these defining characteristics of humanity, all that remains is a stable, well-oiled machine, certainly not a group of beings Works cited "Aldous Huxley - Biography". Egs.edu. 25 February 2012. "Humanity. " Dizionario.com. Dizionario.com. Rete. 25 February 2012.Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. New York: Harper & Bros, 1932. Print.