What If We Are Living In A Huxleyian World? | Amelia Marlowe | TEDxBinusSchool

14-year-old Amelia considers herself a philosopher and futurist, especially after she read Aldous Huxley’s book, “A Brave New World”. It opened her eyes and made her see where civilization might be leading towards. Her talk revolves around the idea of living in a brave new world - a Huxleyan World - as depicted in the story, as well as what led us to it, and how civilization will be like once we are living in it. Could a world like this really become our reality soon?
Amelia is a student at Binus School Simprug in Jakarta.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx

[@toniachristou435]

I am a freshman entering college and I just finished Brave New World. My thoughts mirrored Amelia’s entirely. Incredible job presenting her comparisons, especially for 14!

[@amelialestarimarlowe3563]

Tonia Christou thank you!!

[@BlindLibrary]

This was one of two books I could read in my senior high school English class, so I ran with it. Being congenitally blind since birth, I figured it would be my obligation to read the potential Emergrncy Alert broadcast scrolling through the pages of the book. After the day of my Chapter 18 test, I picked up my gear and just walked quietly to my third period and waited outside. I started crying on an immediate dime right there in the hall outside the class. I'm not sure if even the Sega Genesis music of Sonic the Hedgehog could've cheered me up, considering the entire reality check I just got. We're here; We're actually here. And this is honestly making me sick. The technology as it gets more misused and hacked shall kill us all! That's why I keep Bible verses in my head. God will oh so perwomanently destroy the great hoar of the DeepWorldState for what it really is: Worthless, hollow, overcommon and overvalued. With that, I'm so totally out after writing this. This conundrum is built all the stronger as time keeps flowing like a river (on and on) to the sea, till it's gone forever, gone forever, gone forever, more.

[@Adri_Nichole]

I just read Brave New World for my college English class and when I finished it I was like woah, this is definitely where our world is going. It is absolutely terrifying.

[@BinusSimprugJakarta]

An excellent take by a young scholar. I was present at the speech and do know that the presentation slides stopped at about the halfway mark. Thus, half the talk was improvised!!! Well done.

[@TheNoblot]

Big Brother begun in 1776/1789/ after 200 years of bainwashing, BIG Brother is set and done* reason why ORWELL ANIMAL FARM main character is called NAPOLEON/ / facts of today are the proof / therefore aldous Huxley SOMA looks is the answer 😥 unless minds evolve 🧐👽

[@teacherfromthejungles6671]

Not exactly improvised but told by heart. It was learned beforehand.

[@OldNavajoTricks]

I was listening not watching and noticed the change in speech flow, then read your comment.

[@zedwms]

i love that, before the presentation of this Huxleyan warning, there was an ad about wealth management.

[@ShiloStorm]

Zed Williams 🤣🤣🤣

[@BlindLibrary]

All so now that the DeepWorldState can shove soma down your throat and hypnopedize your brain at night, only dreaming what they tell you to dream.

[@smallstudiodesign]

Oh the irony ... of reality.

[@teacherfromthejungles6671]

That means you are interested in this. Ads are personalized.

[@anothenymously7054]

In my opinion everything in brave new world has happened already just not in the way you'd expect

[@Hoppy71267]

Danke, meine Liebe! Ich "durfte" das Buch ebenso in der Schule lesen and I repeated to do so each century at least twice. At a cerrtain level I agree with you. Thnxs for your speech and your opinion and your Courage. :-)

[@ThisMichaelBrown]

Very insightful! 🙏

[@mactastic144]

Instead of using rational thought, she perpetuates conspiracy theories.

[@haobinlu]

Conspiracy theories are only an antonym to rational thought because you was indoctrinated with help of the mockingbird project and the definition of the term conspiracy theory was rewritten in dictionaries

[@haobinlu]

Theories are an aspect of the scientific approach

[@Taketheride23]

Damn powerful, great speech

[@CHITOWNDEECON1]

She's dead on

[@goodgirl6331]

Wow !

[@haobinlu]

Soma is your smartphone

[@AtticTapes14]

Soma = smartphone

[@Wamsuo58u]

Say no to 5G

[@thetruth4654]

Say no to anything that The Goverment wants to do that isn’t in the best interests of it’s citizens.

[@hamedesmaili4487]

If fish leaves the water will die.

[@jwh0122]

2:05 decantation vs CRISPR 4:13 soma vs antidepressant 6:15 a world of irrelevancy 8:17 mass media (hypnopaedia vs simplistic music) 9:50 mass media (beauty)

[@neilkelly382]

Congratulations to some of you youngsters. I'm fifty now but read huxley and Orwell as a teenager. It was required reading when I went to school

[@Wamsuo58u]

It wasn't required at any of the high schools I went to but I graduated recently... Scary stuff

[@nitroplayz2254]

Still a requirement at my school, hopefully later on we can get a variety of books to pick from

[@ПьяныйДиоген]

What do you think about mixing "1984" and "Brave New World" together?

[@aidand.7911]

Not required in my graduating class (2018), but teachers still tried to get us to see 1984.... had to find Brave New World on my own, and it traumatized me, and I only hope we can reverse the effect of Huxley's validated predictions

[@aidand.7911]

@@ПьяныйДиоген that's called a caricature of real life. Its exaggerated, but modern life is essentially BNW and 1984 combined

[@hopestreet3452]

My antidepressant medication does not make me numb. I feel all my emotions vividly, I am just no longer overwhelmed by my illness.

[@harrycain5912]

Yeah you're absolutely right. She didn't thoroughly research that segment of her speech. Depression is a disorder of the mind. It's not "choosing to focus on negativity and taking a drug to feel happy.

[@austinwilliams1620]

I think her point was only to illustrate that many people take them that don’t necessarily need them. There are fixes in the real world for some problems. I personally know someone who is “depressed” but all they do all day is play video games and don’t work.

[@brett6905]

I'm glad its working out for you. But it is odd that we haven't figured out what has caused the need for the huge spike in depressed people in the last 50 years. We have 77 million people on some kind of psychiatric drug in the United States. Before big pharma, that was just unheard of!! I am not saying the condition isn't real... But my speculation is that there is something in our culture or environment causing the chemical imbalances in the first place, and the drug companies have zero interest in researching the cause, only the maintenance drugs.

[@mynameisreallycool1]

That's true. I think she just means that it is often overused and prescribed to those who don't need it. People who shouldn't be prescribed antidepressants are getting them, and that's when it becomes an issue. Those with clinical depression, like what you have, need it, but when other people take it, it makes them feel numb. They might just need therapy or a change of habits in their life rather than medication. Otherwise, taking this kind of medication when you don't need it is basically like drinking excessive amounts of alcohol.

[@eljaguar4789]

Great job! I believe smartphones and entertainment are Soma.

[@edouardoudinot5144]

Ok boomer

[@eljaguar4789]

@@edouardoudinot5144 not a boomer at all lol I'll go as far as to say there is a solution. Cut TV, movies, music, social media and magazines. Hit the books and gym. Parks and libraries are free. Save money. Do the opposite everyone else is doing.

[@dontworry6672]

El Jaguar boomer is a mentality and what you just said is proof that you are in fact a boomer

[@ПьяныйДиоген]

Ok boomer; what's the goal of all this?

[@MrRickstopher]

@@dontworry6672 Right, a Boomer is a person who is in charge of his own thoughts and able to form a competent thought. Saying "ok Boomer" is the cultural equivalent of putting your fingers in your ears and going "la Ia la I can't hear you."

[@MikoPlayer]

I liked the talk except for the lack of clear distinction between opioids and antidepressants. They both have their respective medical uses but you cannot get high on antidepressants. Opioids on the other hand are really easy to get addicted to and even patients who have legit medical reasons to take them get high even when taking their prescribed dosage.

[@Eonsplay]

Thank you, highly educated people are SOO ignorante about antidepressants and how fustrating and hard it is to treat clinical depression, if antidepressant was a happy pill, no depressed person would stop taking them.

[@teacherfromthejungles6671]

Quite impressive for a 14 y.o. My students of this age know nothing about the world around, can't show where Edinburgh is on the globe, and can't answer simple question without googling, even if it was a question regarding the previous lesson's topic...

[@Leo-ws6cp]

An amazing TedTalk, really like her ideas and views. Very insightful.

[@amelialestarimarlowe3563]

Thank you!

[@mickydee896]

instagram, tik tok all of social media = soma

[@ashleyhermawan75]

Amell!! I know my comment is 2 years late but I am so proud of you! And to think you analysed and interepreted BNW at 14, holy! From saying an amazing speech at 14 to hosting your own TEDx event at 16(yes she did everyone), you really are a prodigy!

[@amelialestarimarlowe3563]

Ashley Hermawan ahhhhh ur too sweet thank youuuuu

[@SkiraReed]

Whaaaaat? 14 and 16 years old?! Huge respect for that! You're a better example of a student than all of those current ones together that just blindly follow what their profs and other students say today. You started to do what studying used to mean once : to get the ability to think for your own and making your own conclusions. Thank you for the great example and really good presentation. You can be proud!

[@bearhall4919]

I am here in 2021 because I keep recalling this book as I watch events unfold. WEF seems to be pushing for this. Biden seems compliant with them. Other things... lots of other things.

[@brett6905]

I personally speculate that Biden is being blackmailed to go along with someone else's agenda, as are many other high level politicians. We already know the NSA monitors and stores every single thing done online and they have AI computers create files on everyone. If it sounds crazy look at what the FBI director Hoover use to do he tapped high profile peoples phones and built a control files on them. If you look at Biden's sleazy son who they say had child pictures on his laptop, it completely opens Biden up to being manipulated. And lets face it Biden and many politicians probably have skeletons in their closet.

[@danicabigornia4572]

You all sound crazy LMAO

[@grail68]

A huge part of this is our treatment of the elderly as inconvenient and expendable. We institutionalize them and medicalize their deaths instead of allowing them to die naturally in the the home where their grandchildren and great-grandchildren live.

[@harrycain5912]

Covid has robbed many families of the right to farewell their elderly loved ones. It's terrible.

[@hugh2hoob668]

today's babies are called Alpha too

[@jakeburkey7036]

Thought this made some really relevant points, was amazed to read that she was only 14 afterwards!

[@amelialestarimarlowe3563]

thank you!

[@tristramgordon8252]

How about that ? A young person who thinks for herself ? Can't remember that last I seen one of them . . .

[@tribalrelics3111]

Guess what ...?the fish dies when it is outta water...

[@BinusSimprugJakarta]

Im assuming you have never been fishing before.

[@lilamayi7]

Wow. Amelia, you are a brilliant young lady! Thank you so much for speaking out and for having the courage to see the world clearly. You are an asset to society. Keep shining!

[@KingshukMazumder93]

Soma in the Vedas (Hindu religious texts) is an intoxicating drink.

[@kurucmarianna5054]

Soma in Greek the (human) body (Bible, Christian).

[@albertnaltner6034]

Huxleyan not Huxleyian! Imagine TEDx Big mistake. (In remembrance of Mrs. Direnno)

[@manjamccade]

wow what a strong speech of her! May the last sheep is waking up, listen to a 14 years old girl, who see it all coming or saw it coming? I am really touched by her speech! I wish more kids would see this - instead of being on their knees...

[@user-bt3qc7ke6o]

The presentation is great and I thank Amelia for that. But it is more about the US, not the whole world :) Eastern European countries are more like 1984..

[@AnnaLVajda]

Lots of censorship and big brother in north america too.

[@Sierath]

I don't appreciate antidepressants being lumped in with opiates and being compared to soma. Antidepressants are legitimate medicine that help people function and deal with mental illness.

[@yorkdouglass2202]

Learn to appreciate having you preconceptions challenged, you’ll be better off

[@marlonlo9661]

We already had soma long before Huxley, alcohol, coffee, tobacco, opium and other drugs that were advertised to take your stress away and make you happy.

[@marks2807]

Soma does not even have to be a substance we take. If I said video game addiction is a form of soma would you agree? Even though a video game addict has not ingested a single substance. Many people have forms of soma that are not substances. That notification ping on a phone can be soma for some people. The girl that is putting eight billion pictures on Instagram to get the high of all the attention she gets is also a form of soma.

[@piedradelocura]

Very brave. Very well done. Keep it up!

[@interferenzbrille_2542]

Soma is not opiods and antidepressions, it's consumerism.

[@BinusSimprugJakarta]

Soma is a drug. Consumerism is hypopedia.

[@colenewaltersmusicandother9330]

You will own nothing and be happy. Klaus Scwab

[@shefchenko111]

The democratic party disliked this video

[@rat_king-]

Very Farenheit 451

[@ungrateful-66]

I've spent what "feels" like an eternity wandering with the introspective curiosity of WHY all of these people clearly "get it wrong."

[@ConanDuke]

It was a warning, now it's a playbook.

[@Kicksbruh]

Did my Extended Essay on this dystopian prose and finished watching the series on Peacock. A relevant part of humanity and an inevitable, fast-approaching future; its manifestation veiled by “social norms”. Fantastic material in the talk and good references - the future is bright...

[@officialstevenma]

I'm here looking at my blank essay 6 minutes before it's due and here stands a member giving an entire TED talk on the same subject.

[@VO1D333]

So true.

[@stelltame227]

Amazed at Times square???? How ridiculous. It is no more than a busy intersection to me. I will never go there. I would rather go to a waterfall/ canyon or anywhere else. (except Vegas).

[@matthewguzda4075]

Given she's bright, why's a 14 yr old giving a Ted talk? Is she really the most well versed person to give this talk? She may be very intelligent but I'd prefer hearing from someone who's a doctor in sociology than a 14 yr old no matter how bright. Talk to me in 6 yrs. And that's no insult.

[@ArikIsHere]

You are very brave! Thank you for coming forward and saying this aloud

[@ErayIsBae]

Wow great speech! I just read the book and this analysis gave me some deeper insights

[@lunizparlein173]

So refeshing with a young lady that r3ally think for her self instead of manufactured " Gr3ta T"

[@bladerunnerblues2501]

Welcome to CNN

[@testrabbit]

No second chance. We have to make sure that the technology is NEVER used against us.

[@testrabbit]

@Sam Farber true. I guess I'm less concerned with the tracking than the misuse of info. And there are so many technologies out there that can just be weaponized and used contrary to the intentions of the scientists against us if people don't elect proper overseers of such things when put into the hands of well-organized/state-funded para/militaries who have no allegiance to principles in the Bill of Rights of the USA federal constitution anyhow or civil rights in general. We don't have enough voices of the scientific community in government in the USA at least and the intimidation of scientists and their families worldwide along with groups statistically underrepresented in respective governments.

[@thejogayogafiles]

Beautiful YOU inside and out.

[@yevrahhipstar3902]

We are not (living in a 'brave new world') because there is nothing we are allowed that comes anywhere near to Soma. If you say "smartphone", well, you've never taken a psychedelic..

[@alessiobertelli8997]

lol

[@ryangadola8475]

Yea I think the use of soma reflects some of the benefits that psychedelics actually have. It makes you more empathetic and less prone to violence. They reduce your sense of self and it relieves you of anxiety and depression. This could be used by the government to create a more passive and docile population. Right now tho anti-anxiety and depression meds are being used which kinda empty your mind from negative thoughts and have a similar effect regarding those problems specifically since at the end of the day depressed and anxious people tend to be less industrious and beneficial to society. So I’d say to a degree we are since we are but we’re also not given those meds by force in most cases and were not given any drugs that reduce our potential for criminal activity by force.

[@rocketsmall4547]

she said antidepressants in the beginning

[@alwaystoyou123]

This video must be seen by many. Great job. Thanks Amelia.

[@audiophileman7047]

Well done, Amelia, you are on your way to living a wonderful life, a life of feeling, a life of redemptive suffering, a life of love and spirit. All of those things will make you strong, and you will endure. Through them you will find genuine happiness.

[@razor282]

Facebook and Instagram are Soma. Soma is an actual drug, a painkiller/muscle relaxer prescribed doctor. Soma was also a fermented concoction of extracted juice from plants unknown. It is mentioned in the Vedic texts an was consumed by Hindu gods and priests.

[@jonathanmcclendon1410]

I would argue that the world faces competing world order models; Brave New World vs 1984, both capturing differing views on how best to control a public. You could block these ideas into generic capitalism vs communism conventionalisms, but parts of either are adopted where deemed necessary, so neither are exclusively one or the other.

[@JayBelew]

its kind of freaky that marijuana was legalized in all of the liberal states now.

[@rocketsmall4547]

thats just money. free moneys

[@testrabbit]

Thank you. I love you for carrying on the spirit of Mr. Huxley. You should be an inspiration to all. Please scream if you lose your platform.

[@RajPatildrvv]

look you said the truth... but reality or originality is the key integrity intentions and intensity..... this is suppressed form of science but grow yourself to the new level of spiritual powers else let the right one win and see the difference for yourself remember looks are temporary but saving yourself is the ultimate key of success... well said stay strong may you help yourself the god shall give you what you exactly need for your life gd tc cheers..... meaningful and purposeful life tatz it gd tc cheerss.....mgby

[@joepossejlg3162]

sx the future...lalalland

[@BJ-xh8tg]

y@WnNnn

[@AtticTapes14]

Forget 1984.

[@cerebral-liberty]

The movie Gattaca is also about these topics, very good movie that provokes 'what exactly is a better society?'

[@charlenecamilleri8580]

I'd like to believe we have always lived in a sort of brave new world. There's always soma. It's phones. It's drugs. It's religion. It's recreation. Propaganda and societal expectations have been sold to us for centuries.

[@anilmahajanadavelly6357]

Frog is good example for this.. fish isn’t because fish doesn’t live survive outside of water. Nice presentation

[@philhalstead8851]

this talk contains nothing new,

[@ricewinner2596]

Stop listening to radio.

[@bp8764]

Yep- antidepressant screenings are mandatory as far as I can tell. Next time you visit your family physician, they should give you a screening for depression, suicidal thoughts, etc. This is 'sold' as looking after your mental health (and this has truth to it) but the real incentives here would be better control over a population that is 'dosed' and obedient.

[@Eonsplay]

Antidepressants however dont make you happy, at the most you start having less mood changes and feeo more stable and less impulsive after months of taking them, it's not a pleasurable experience, and it doesn make you complacent, it's nothing like opioids. They act only on serotonin reuptake, and the brain chemistry and behaviour is a lot more complicated than that.

[@kaloyanerusalimov]

We are :)

[@mikeycanterbury1421]

You should try living in a third world country girl

[@traveler4043]

i say this respectfully, you don't have a clue of what the states really is brother

[@kjaxn-bn4d715]

Excellent comparison! Great job young lady

[@TrustMe55]

If you like this you would really like IQ squared,where they debate which was the better book a brave new world or 1984 and they debate whichIs most true about our world today it’s excellent

[@umochie]

damn she was only 14 and could talk better than i will ever be able to LMAO

[@mallorcablockchaindays]

Great Ted Talk...keep going!

[@javierortizmir7873]

Wow girl!!! A lot of passion right there!!! Read island

[@shekharshukla7642]

I read it as part of my science fiction class.

[@MirthaAngeles]

I'm reading it as part of my history of English literature class. I am simply amazed. Congrats Amelia. Brave new world Revisited by young lady in the 21st century.

[@Cycleplayer117]

Well done

[@MasterTrickShot]

Yeah they might kill this girl on spring break or something. She sees too much for their control

[@thetruth4654]

They didn’t kill either Huxley, Orwell or Bradbury. If they were scared of this stuff waking up millions of people, books like 1984 and Brave New World would never have gotten published to begin with.

[@euminkong]

@@thetruth4654 predictive programming

[@Natecoxy]

Brave new world is less of a work of fiction than many think. Julian Huxley (aldus's brother) has written some interesting books and papers too. I suggest you look further into the Huxley's and their work.

[@razor282]

Facebook and Instagram are Soma. Soma is an actual drug, a painkiller/muscle relaxer prescribed doctor. Soma was also a fermented concoction of extracted juice from plants unknown. It is mentioned in the Vedic texts an was consumed by Hindu gods and priests.

[@ghettoninja82]

"What if huh"? Yall know dam well we is, yall kno wuss going on. get out here wit that bs. Not even watching dis just had to comment on title. God loves you

[@thedonwesley5279]

Smoking grass use to be a revolutionary act Now it's turning into Huxley's Soma Btw the antidote to Huxley's BNW was his final novel ISLAND

[@RedSiegfried]

I love how young people are just figuring this out now. Generation after generation and history starts for us each morning when we wake up. Instead of soma, we have social media.

[@dy8576]

wow absolutely amazing observation.

[@mohdmarzad1109]

Brave new world is social media. Where everyone is happy. Likes and shares are the soma.

[@farflower5]

Amazing!

[@katlynklassen809]

She should mention peoples suggestions of ultra strong cannabis.

[@leesonmorrison28]

Funny how I got here after Martin G Spataro's "Otra vez soma". Miraculous YT recommendations... :)

[@qzddzdwx]

Amazing speech. Thank you.

[@xinnianightingale6099]

I’m confused mainly about why people think models are a beauty standard? They’re professional clothing hangers, they can’t have anything extra that would distract from the clothing or make it lie incorrectly on the body. Nobody said you have to look like that to be beautiful, that’s something you personally tell yourself. And the more we yell “unrealistic beauty standards because models” the more young girls want to look like that because YOU just told them that it’s a beauty standard.

[@BinusSimprugJakarta]

"Nobody said you have to look like that to be beautiful" Can you please justify that statement.

[@sachamcphedran6943]

Clever girl, Once you step out of the water you are never going back.

[@Eclispestar]

Community love!

[@invisibleduck3508]

Imagine being happy with no pain or suffering. Sounds terrible. Good thing there are 2 places. 1 for people who want to be happy and told what to do. And 1 for the people that want to be miserable...and told what to do.

[@thelotuseater6496]

Invisible Duck Sounds great tbh

[@voiceofreason2674]

Something about her accent make it seem believable

[@masteroogway8601]

Can I have her instagram account for more research?

[@influenceraman8492]

Waaaooo ..... Liked it ...

[@tonilavey1128]

Ahhh yess. Prolific Huxley..