What was the 30-Year War that raged across 17th century Europe? How did a mystical French priest, Father Joseph, become a leading politican and war leader during the 17th century? What are the perils of bringing intense religious beliefs into earthly politics? How did this modest monk, who considered wearing shoes a sin, inspire King Louis XIII to continue a war that lead to millions of deaths? Aldous Huxley, author of Brave New World and Doors of Perception, wrote this complex biography of Father Joseph while German bombs were being dropped on London and he was a Hollywood screenwriter. A committed pacifist and spiritual seeker, Huxley sought to understand the barbarism of Nazi Germany and offer a parable for his own relucance to get involved in World War II br tracing the tragic career of a hermit turned Forign Minister. Father Joseph, according to Huxley, was born to be on the side on angels, but found himself hated as warmonker and religious fanatic. Sensitive souls, Huxley warns, should not be forced into public affairs because they destroy their higher selves and place impossible demands on mere mortals. As always with the polyglot philosopher, Huxley's poignant narrative illuminates the connections between history, theology, and psycholgy. Armed with a lethal wit, Huxley brings this forgotten religious leader to life with absorbing details and shocking absurdities. A compelling, if disturbing, biography to read as the Christian Right continues to grow in influence and power. Can you get Pat Robertson and Ralph Reed to read this?

This is a brilliant investigation of the dangerous relations when we mix politics and religion. This book is almost banned in Latin American countryes. The reason: we still suffer from this problem. Please forgive my poor spelling and writing in English.

The Human Situation, compiled together after Huxley's death by his widow, is an amazing book. When you pick up this novel, you have no idea that he will bring the most extreme sides and shows the common ground. This is what the Neo-Heterodoxy of Love and Enlightenment calls The Lecture to Man.

This book is a collection of 26 essays and two poems written by Aldous Huxley during the last twenty years of his life. Each essay is about man's relationship with God, with the environment and with his fellow man. Huxley started out life as an agnostic and, at times, took a sarcastic, almost caustic attitude towards religion. However, certainly by 1939, his attitude had changed, as those familiar with Huxley's later works will recognise. In fact, several of the essays contained in this book appear in Huxley's later novels such as DEVILS OF LOUDON and TIME MUST HAVE A STOP.

Huxley believed that those who wholeheartedly and sincerely seek God will find what they're looking for. He tried to strip religion of all the tradition and trappings to find a common thread running through all religions. What he found was, in part, that God is One and that God is love. In these essays, he shares his methods for seeking (and finding) God. He also shares his thoughts on the destructiveness of misguided religious idealism and nationalism. There's alot of deep thought in this book. I really can't do Huxley justice in a review of one of his religious works. The man was in a class all by himself. I will say that this book makes its readers stop and think. The essays contained in this book are particularly apropos to a warring and terrorism-stricken society such as ours. I especially recommend two essays, "On a Sentence from Shakespeare" and "A Minimum Working Hypothesis". You'll see life differently after reading them.

"Huxley in Hollywood" has been selected for listing in "Religion and Psychoactive Sacraments: An Entheogen Chrestomathy."

This is an intelligent, highly engaging and fascinating novel. It mimics, both a travelogue and an autobiography. It leaves the reader itching to know how much of the story was based on the life experiences of the writer. The various relationships between the characters in the novel are quite unique and shocking yet entertaining. I highly recommend this novel

There's been a lot of talk recently about the decipherment of the human genome and it possible use. With the knowledge obtained by the genome project humanity is allowed to alter the course of its evolution or at least change many aspects of its development. Huxley presents a world where humans are able to make other humans. Presents a sexually liberated world. He presents a world with several classes of humans...

He presents one of the possibilities of a world that could be obtained with the knowledge we have now. This is a very good book if you want to broaden your view about genetic manipulation and the human Genome Project. Must read!

If Brave new world is the scientific forecast of future, Island is the utopia of living based on religion and spirituality.The book is so much in contrast to Brave New World, at the same time it reflects the degradation of humanity and mankind and how the inteference of foreign elements change the course of evolution for a small island. If you felt sad after reading Brave New World, this book will bring light and hope about the future we dont know.

For me, the most appealing feature of this work was the way Huxley combines great society-changes with personal development and joy. Too often people want to make the world better by being a pure and holy human being, which is off course impossible. In Huxleys Utopia society is completely adjusted to the best of human nature, but it's still human nature. This is what makes the whole so realistic and valuable. The obvious question now is off course: Why don't we put his ideas into action? In answering this I must agree with another reviewer, who poses that people in Pala are too earnest, too occupied with their happiness. Maybe Huxley forgot the part of human nature we call 'laziness'. Another possibility is that we're simply too stupid a race to put such obvious guidelines to happiness beside us. When i walk down a library or book shop i'm always having difficulties finding books that describe something positive. It seems we are animals that enjoy suffering as well as complaining about it. Untill we can put this drive for self-pity and misery aside, we're not ready for Pala. I can't help but wondering if we will ever be... .

this book describes aldous huxley's vision for how human beings could live if we would acknowledge that we are neither perfect or fatally flawed ... just a group of animals living on a planet together. if we dealt with that, we could then use our big brains to minimize the suffering of life.

the ending of this book is, though, a bit of a travesty. what huxley spends hundreds of pages building gets knocked away in just a chapter. another writer i know of, jean houston, says that she asked huxley about the ending of island and he said he lost the last bit of the manuscript and had to very quickly re-do it.

happens to the best of us i guess. you will like this book, though, if your friends accuse you of being an idealist. funny how 'idealist' is the word used to describe people like huxley, who look around them and despair because of their purely pragmatic knowledge that what we are doing now (as a society and a world) is not working.

"the doors of perception" is an obscure little book by aldous huxley that, in my opinion, is one of his best. it is obvious that huxley is really reaching, however, and perhaps looking for metaphysical meaning where there really is none, although as a great man once said i am too skeptical to deny the possibility of anything. the beautiful and unique thing about this book is that you can practically feel huxley's passionate search for the underlying essence of the universe, and it is a real privilege to be allowed a peek into the mind of a man of genius in an altered and stimulated state. along with gerard de nerval's "aurelia", this book is probably the best 'hallucinatory' work ever written. references to blake, coleridge, and many of the other 'mystical poets' abound, and one can practically feel the author's near desperation for attainment of ultimate truth. for a short time during the book he becomes what the surly schopenhauer would have called "the free willless subject of knowledge" and is more interested in the magic and wonder of pure perception than that of engaged being. huxley's honesty is at times almost disconcerting, and he admits several times that for people of abnormally abundant intellect such as himself, the world becomes more of a symbolic concept than a lived reality and experience, and his drug experimentation was an attempt to temporarily escape this mental deadening and sterility. it is probably true that this book may have helped to inspire some illicit and destructive drug use, but the blame for that hardly lies with huxley himself. if i remember correctly he published an essay that discouraged recreational drug use a few years after writing this book, although i could be thinking of someone else. there is no similarity whatsoever between a self controlled, brilliant man like huxley attempting a fleeting transformation of consciousness for creative purposes and a perpetually stoned young hippie trying to 'get the on the magic carpet ride' for a few hours. his more hasty readers should read a book entitled "beyond the outsider" by scholar/philosopher colin wilson before they start popping mescaline or taking psychedelic drugs that they are not experienced with. wilson describes in agonizing detail his horrific experience with mescaline and makes the astute and accurate observation that most people are too neurotic and fearful to have a positive experience with the drug. all of that said, however, this is an absolute must read for anyone even mildly interested in philosophy, poetry, or mysticism.

"The Doors of Perception" is probably the most popular non-fiction work on the subject of psychedelic experiences; it is based on first account records of the author's decision to experiment the consequences of intake of small amounts of mescalin, in an attempt to reach enlightenment and escape world's boredom. Being who he was, the result is a very interesting narrative in which the author expands on his not only scientific but also philosophical, religious, and artistic ideas.
The philosopher C.D.Broad suggested that our brains are genetically programmed to screen perceptions, selecting only those that are necessary for survival. By doing so, humans close the doors to what Huxley calls "Mind-at-Large," thereby loosing access to the world of unconsciousness and wonder. Only through the use of chemical substances can a human being free himself from his inherited limitations, experience the realms of supernaturally brilliant visionary experiences, and obtain total freedom from the ego. In this new stage of consciousness, spatial and time relationships cease to exist, whilst intensity, profundity of significance are augmented. Our everyday reliance on language petrifies perception because "however expressive, symbols can never be the things they stand for." There is a need for a less exclusively verbal system of education and "an occasional trip through some chemical Door in the Wall!"
Huxley's work is highly controversial and paradoxical. How are we to develop a science of perception if our language is not equipped to express that same perception? How are we to explain the differences in reaction to mescalin intake, ranging from peaceful and mystical to schizophrenic behavior? How are we to define individuals "with open minds and sound lives" who would be normally allowed to use chemical substances (drugs) with no risk involved? Let the reader keep in mind that this book was published back in 1954 and nowadays science is till dealing with these issues.
In order to give an anwer as to why individuals react differently to drug intake, Huxley worte "Heaven and Hell." According to him, for some "the ego doesn't melt like an iceberg in tropical waters, but expands to the point of suffocation;" only those who are free from negative emotions (fear, hatred, anger) have the door opened to visionary experience.
Aldous Huxley raises a number of interesting issues, not be taken as "chicken-soup for drugs," but rather as intellectual exercise for further thought and consideration as to what we most commonly refer to as "reality." His opinions and explanations may sometimes be considered "naive" and not fully elaborated, but merit goes to his audacity in exploring an area which to this day remains open to further understanding.

This book is truly a classic. It has a timeless quality and youth-like enthusiasm. Mr. Huxley does such a superb job at capturing the "feel" of the whole experience. He weaves wonderful prose with intriguing ideas. Not being an avid art aficionado, I was left a bit daunted with the numerous art references, but overall he has left me with a newfound interest in art.

Huxley touches on some good questions concerning psychoactive substances (and general "chemical vacations") and perception. I am intrigued with his idea of the brain acting as a sort of "reducing valve" for the whole of what could be perceived (experiencing "mind at large"). It is surely a quick read, but still packed full of philosophy, little tidbits, history and a myriad of other such though provoking ideas.

A great quote: "The need for frequent chemical vacations from intolerable selfhood and repulsive surroundings will undoubtedly remain." And Huxley does a wonderful job at explaining why this is so. This is a must read for anyone trying to understand the whole why and what for of hallucinogens, or for the aspiring philosopher, the general curious about life, mystery, etc. It is a necessary read.

Brave New World
Aldous Huxley takes us on an adventure into the future to witness society's possible outcome in his famous science fiction novel, Brave New World. Written in 1932, Huxley presents society a century or two ahead of time, predicting the capabilities of mankind with the consistently rapid development of technology. Huxley grasps imaginative readers and provides them with opportunities to expand their horizons in predicting the future.
Taking place in London, society is set up in a Utopian form of government where everyone is treated the same. In the novel, feelings such a love, sadness, and gladness are not accepted; instead, people take a drug called "soma" to stop their mixed feelings and make them forget about their problems. Babies are no longer born to their mother and father; instead, they are born in predestined nurseries, and there are five different types of people: the Alphas and Betas and the Gammas, Deltas, and Epsilons. In a communist type government, each type of person is conditioned and trained to know their purpose and job in life at a young age by using repetition of words on the infants. I found this method used by Huxley fascinating as it closely relates to many experiments used by the famous Sigmund Freud such as the salivating dog. Every time he rang a bell in front of the dog, he would give the dog a treat and the dog would then salivate. Eventually, the ringing of the bell alone would cause the dog to salivate, even if there was no treat; this is impressively the type of conditioning that Huxley uses on the people-they are experimented on by the use of repetition physically and verbally.
The structure of the story is in third person and is shown by many different characters from the book as many characters play crucial roles in the famous novel. Bernard in the story symbolizes the famous communist leader Karl Marx as he strives in the story to keep everyone equal no matter the circumstances. "Ford", the higher spirit that everyone worships, represents Henry Ford where the people are treated in an assembly line fashion. The lusting Lenina is a sex symbol that represents the image of people avoiding their problems with sex and drugs; no one faces their problems, they all turned away, especially Lenina. Lenina is an object to men, the woman that every man wants to sleep with. Main character, John, also known as the 'Savage', is an important factor in the novel as he's from the normal civilization that we basically had in the past with the Native Americans. John is taken into the 'New World' and attempts to express to the people the meaning of emotions and different feelings, but everyone is extremely confused by his way of life and are more entertained than convinced. Another important character in the story is a man by the name of Mustopha, one of the ten world controllers. He displays himself as a full believer to the communist ways, but deep down he wishes the structure of society were different as he hides religious literature in his office such as Bibles and scriptures. Mustopha tries to tell himself and the Savage that the new way is better, " [...] And if ever, by some unlucky chance, anything unpleasant should somehow happen, why, there's always soma to give you a holiday from the facts. And there's always soma to calm your anger, to reconcile you to your enemies, to make you patient and long-suffering. In the past you could only accomplish these things by making a great effort and after years of hard moral training. Now, you swallow two or three half-gramme tablets, and there you are. Anybody can be virtuous now. You can carry at least half your mortality about in a bottle. Christianity without tears-that's what soma is."
Huxley may shock readers with his incredible predictions of the future society as he proves to be on the right path. In fact, Huxley is so accurate that readers criticized his work when Brave New World first came out, claiming that his work was way out there and far too sexual; but taking a look at the casual sex in our generation today, Huxley's on the right track. In Brave New World, the Savage attempts to help convince the people of London that their ways are unhealthy and that they need God to reflect on their lives, "If you allowed yourselves to think of God, you wouldn't allow yourselves to be degraded by pleasant vices. You'd have a reason for bearing things patiently, for doing things with courage."

Aldous Huxley wrote Brave New World to illustrate how society can go wrong. It was a very good book, and pretty well written. I believe that it deserves four stars. In the book, everyone was pre-conditioned to think what the leaders of society wanted them to think, and to work unconditionally. They are kept happy with drugs and entertainment. It is, in essence, a journey back to the dark ages, where slaves and serfs are plentiful, disguised as the glorious advancement of society.
When Huxley wrote the book in 1932, it was seen as a far-sighted prediction. Now, this horrible future could be awaiting us just around the corner. This book contains many parallels to modern life. Just as in the book, religion has almost been eliminated from public life, and replaced with total materialism. Now, everyone in the industrialized world worships themselves. In the book, every human baby is cloned, grown in bottles, and sleep-conditioned in the ways of society. We have already started down that perilous path. We may have already cloned the first human baby, and DNA engineering is not far off. Will this be the fate of our future? Only time will tell.
Overall, my impression of Huxley's book is that it is a very good work. It is very accurate and reasonably well written, although I believe he stressed unimportant things at times. On the whole, it was a very thought-provoking novel. I had a hard time putting it down.

As critic and best-selling author Neil Postman points out so well in the introduction to his book "Amusing Ourselves To Death", we have congratulated ourselves prematurely by figuring we made it past the totalitarian nightmare state depicted in George Orwell's gripping cautionary tale "1984". Perhaps, Postman suggest, we should remember another visionary totalitarian nightmare scenario and use it to critically examine the contemporary state of social and psychological well-being. Of course he was referring to Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World, written before Orwell's by 15 or so years, and even more frightening in its own way in the world it describes. More and more, that frightening vision looks like our contemporary world.

Picture his ironic portrait of a populace doped into Nirvana on "soma" (read Prozac and Zoloft), isolated and diverted by petty preoccupations in mindless trivial pursuits (read video games and internet surfing to all the porno sites), oblivious to anything not directly pertaining to themselves and totally unaware of the degree to which they are being socially, economically, and politically co-opted. Beginning to sound more familiar? Remember, says Huxley, brute force is not the only method an oligarchy can use to influence, manage, and finally control our hard-won freedoms and liberties; it can be done with over-indulgence and the deliberate fertilization and promulgation of apathy through self-absorption, as well.

Even Huxley says (circa 1960, almost 30 years after the original publication) in the preface of the revised version of the book that he is alarmed as to how quickly the sort of events he figured might take a hundred years such as the appearance of political internationalism and transnational corporate entities are already arising and beginning to control more and more of the substance of our social, economic, and political lives. Just how much do we know other than what we hear and see on television, for example? Yet the electronic media is owned and managed by transnational corporations. Ever wonder why we never heard much muckraking news coverage of the NAFTA or GATT deals even though many recogized the two bills would radically change the nature of international trade? Perhaps the transnationals didn't want too much hype or fuss. Starting to feel uncomfortable yet? Still, people keep insisting this was just a whimsical work of fiction, that it was a parable, that he really wasn't serious.

Want to find out more? Read this book, but do so slowly, taking notes, recognizing how many contemporary parallels there are to each of the "whimsical details" he conjures up, and then figure out in your own mind how very close he was to prognosticating just how far we have come toward the "Brave New World" in which everyone's soul and awareness is for sale. The kids are wowed by the recent movie The Matrix", yet few appreciate just how much of a fabled existence we are already living in. No pain, no sorrow, no trouble of any kind. Instead, we have our individual and collective consciousness "managed" pharmaceutically; our psyches eased into blithering bliss with "soma", our diminishing attention spans sidetracked and occupied by petty diversions and endless entertainments. Pass me the corndogs, honey!

But, hey! Don't touch that dial; Regis is on! They may retry OJ! What did Bill Clinton really do with that cigar? Have you seen the latest news about the stock market? Did you get any of that new beer they're advertising? it's supposed to make me a real ladies man....What's the latest gadget? Can I buy one on-line? By the way, where are the kids? Hell, never mind, just turn up the volume; I think I know the answer to that question Regis just asked... Meanwhile, folks, our awareness of what is going on around us, our rights and our liberties are being power-washed away, obliterated, and we cannot even see it happening in front of us. We are diverted, distracted, content in our own little worlds. So welcome to our nightmare. Better beware; it just looks like Nirvana. It's really another "Brave New World".