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On Orwell's 1984 and Common Sense
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# : |
11241 |
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Section : |
BOOK WORLD
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| Issue
Date : |
5 / 1986 |
5,477 Words |
| Author
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Dennis G. Stevens
Dennis G. Stevens is assistant professor of political Science
at Knox College, where he teaches classical political
philosophy and American government. |
Orwell is not a philosopher and 1984 is not a philosophic work. However, Orwell forces us to consider philosophic issues by arguing that modern tyranny is caused not by technology but by something more fundamental: the comprehensive rejection of the idea of nature. The emancipation of technology described in 1984 is sensible only if a decision has been made that nature is devoid of meaning. The terrible tyranny of Oceania is successful because it embodies an idea which in fact its subjects accept, that there is no objective reality or nature which should be respected. Orwell warns his readers that this idea, which is so widespread in modern times, is the true source of modern tyranny. In other words, Orwell reminds us of a very basic point: our ideas have political consequences. Once the idea of nature has been rejected, it is impossible to defend freedom over slavery. It makes perfect sense to love Big Brother if there is no external standard of nature by which he can be judged. Orwell's 1984 is a plea for sanity in a world which seems to be losing its grip on reality. He asks us to cling to the commonsense notion that good and bad, right and wrong, noble and base are real. Oceania is nothing more than the political manifestation of their denial. This study of 1984 will explore Orwell's argument about the cause of modern tyranny and the alternative which he offers us. It common sense sufficient as a bulwark against the ideas which foster modern tyranny? In order to approach these issues, three topics must be analyzed: first, the significance of time in 1984; second, Orwell's view of human nature; and third, the effect which the rejection of nature has on language.
The Significance of Time
The fundamental
... (1986 of 30441 Characters)
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