International Comparative Literature

Vol.6 NO.1 （2023）： 157-170

DOI： 10.19857/j.cnki.ICL.20236108

Copyright ? Shanghai Normal University

The Bioethics in Science Fiction：

Moral Inspiration of Happiness in Brave New World *

科幻小说中的生命伦理学：

《美丽新世界》中幸福的道德启示

ZHAO Xiuhong 　WU Wenqing 　Shanxi University

赵秀红 吴文清 山西大学

zxh811223@163.com

Abstract： Bio-ethical exploration has always been a classic theme of modern

science fiction. With the rapid development of life science and medicine， gene editing

technology and its potential ethical dilemmas and choices have become the key points

of science fiction in recent years. These works have captured the momentum of life

science developments and potential risks through topics as “artificial person，”

“transplants，” “laboratory babies，” “gene editing，” “mind control，” and “genetic

enhancements，” focusing on human gene editing techniques， as well as their strong

impact on the traditional way of life and social ethics. Among these， the novel Brave

New World by the British writer Aldous Huxley depicts the annihilation of human nature

under the grinding influence of money and machine as material desires are satisfied by

advances in science and technology， one of the root causes being the weak awareness

of bio-ethical consciousness. In a world like this， love and responsibility are lost due

to alienated material relationships among people， bio-ethical morality is trampled， and

virtue awareness is discarded， all of which may cause inappropriate bio-ethical choices

to recur and eventually lead to loss of happiness. In essence， the novel reflects the

complex emotions and confused values of people pursuing the American dream in the

era of scientism and hedonism after World War Ⅰ. Through the asymmetry of

responsibility over freedom， as well as the relationship between the self and the other

—following Levina’s ethical theory of “the other”—the other takes precedence over

the self， with infinite absoluteness and transcendence. The novel serves as an

opportunity for moral reflection and demonstrates that confirmation of the self lies in

the presence of the other. Only in the process of cultivating responsibility and empathy

* Submitted Date： Aug. 17， 2022； Accepted Date： Dec. 17， 2022.2023年第6卷 第1期

国际比较文学

INTERNATIONAL COMPARATIVE LITERATURE

for the other can self-subjectivity be revealed， materialism and technology be brought into full play as a means to an

end， and “the self” and “the present” be transcended to experience the existence of happiness and meaning in life.

Keywords： Levina’s ethics of “the other”； Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World； responsibility； face；

practical wisdom

Notes on the Authors： ZHAO Xiuhong is a doctoral student of Ethics in the School of Philosophy and

Sociology at Shanxi University. She is also a lecturer in the School of Foreign Languages at Shanxi University，

China， specializing in Foreign Literature. WU Wenqing is a professor and doctoral supervisor who teaches Ethics

in the School of Philosophy and Sociology at Shanxi University， China.

New technologies such as genetic technology， 3D printing， artificial intelligence， big data， nanotechnology and other emerging technologies， while bringing great convenience to

human society， may also cause great ethical risks and challenges. The ethical impacts of

emerging science and technologies are complicated by multifarious factors interwoven together.

The possible ethical challenges are also difficult to accurately predict and avert because of

insufficient related knowledge and experience， all of which may heighten the uncertainty of the

application of the high-tech inventions. One of the salient examples is the application of synthetic

biotechnology， which to a great extent can respond to and find solutions for the bulk of social

problems concerning food， nutrition， resources， diseases and the like that have perplexed many

countries for a long time. If synthetic genes are embedded in cells， diverse renewed products like

newly biodegradable plastics， nutritious proteins， vaccines will be created in the domains of bio-

fuel， bio-medical treatment， bio-energy， ecology and so on. Compared with the traditional

tools， they are brand-new and also cleaner， cheaper and more effective. However， synthetic

biotechnology is a double-edged sword， which can bring benefits as well as risks. That is to say，

once maliciously used—even to develop a highly contagious virus—synthetic biotechnology will

endanger the lives of human beings （cynically called “the inhumane use of human beings”）.

Additionally， some scientists have managed to perform gene editing on human embryos， which

aroused a heated debate over the rationality and feasibility of removing a single， even though

defective， gene from a genome and then replacing it with another one to prevent disease. There is

no denying that the rapid development of emerging technologies leads to the creation of new

ethical problems， whereas the fact is that because emerging technologies are characterized by

sophisticated equipment， complex technology and complicated knowledge structures， most

researchers mainly focus on scientific and technical issues rather than pay more attention to the

ethical， legal and other issues involved. In addition， some researchers may be driven by interests

that lead to behavior that runs contrary to ethical norms. Despite the bio-experiment itself not

having an ethical problem， nor crossing the ethical boundary， that boundary has nevertheless

been touched. In recent years， ethics has become a concern in the scientific community， and the

158科幻小说中的生命伦理学：《美丽新世界》中幸福的道德启示

The Bioethics in Science Fiction： Moral Inspiration of Happiness in Brave New World

2023, Vol. 6, No. 1

problems scientists would encounter should be investigated further before any type of practical

application is begun. Therefore it is necessary to further strengthen the ethical norms and

supervision of scientific research activities and effectively prevent the associated ethical risks.

Besides that， the key point is the change from the requirements of society to the requirements of

scientists’ self-consciousness. Thus， in order to better develop and utilize synthetic

biotechnology， it is vitally important that there is ethical reflection on “whether human beings

can be made，” “the essence of life，” “the traditional ideas of happiness itself，” “the relationship

between self and others” and such issues. The “traditional” route of bioethics allows for serious

moral and experimental argumentation mainly in terms of normative ethics， considering that the

moral significance of narration in literature， as well as the importance of empathy and rational

emotion in bioethics which can be stirred by narration in literature. Most importantly， the

ultimate goal of bio-science is supposed to be directed toward the aim of happiness. The rational

method of argumentation in this essay follows the philosophical discussion of ethics and literature

to capture the significance of bioethics in the novel Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

The novel Brave New World penned by Aldous Huxley （1894?1963）， a 20th century

British modernist novelist， has been highly praised by both Chinese and Western readers since its

publication in 1932. It presents us with a fictional society in the year 2532， in which materials are


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