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Dystopian books and films are in the zeitgeist. Reflecting the often dark mood of our times, Intelligence Squared are staging a contest between two of the greatest dystopian novels,\xa0Brave New World\xa0and\xa0Nineteen Eighty-Four. Each book captured the nightmares of the 1930s and 40s. But which vision looks more prescient to us now in the 21st century? Are we living in George Orwell\u2019s sinister surveillance state? Or in Aldous Huxley\u2019s vapid consumerist culture? To battle it out, we are bringing two celebrated writers,\xa0Adam Gopnik\xa0and\xa0Will Self, to our stage. After Donald Trump was elected, it seemed as if\xa0Nineteen Eighty-Four\xa0had clinched it. The book shot to the top of the bestseller charts. It felt so ominously familiar. In Orwell\u2019s dystopia, the corporate state controls the news, insisting that \u2018whatever the Party holds to be truth is truth\u2019. That sounds very like Trump\u2019s \u2018alternative facts\u2019, and the war he is waging on the \u2018fake news\u2019 media. Orwell imagined two-way telescreens spying on every citizen\u2019s home. Today we have Amazon\u2019s \u2018always listening\u2019 Alexa device, while Google, Facebook and the security agencies hoover up our personal data for their own ends. Orwell also described an Inner Party \u2013 two percent of the population \u2013 enjoying all the privileges and political control. Isn\u2019t that scarily close to the \u2018one percent\u2019, reviled for their wealth and influence by anti-capitalists today? No wonder everyone rushed out to buy the book. But Orwell\u2019s critics say\xa0Nineteen Eighty-Four\xa0is a dated dystopia, a vision that died along with communism. The novel that better resonates with our present, they say, is\xa0Brave New World. Here Aldous Huxley imagined a plastic techno-society where sex is casual, entertainment light and consumerism rampant. There are pills to make people happy, virtual reality shows to distract the masses from actual reality, and hook-ups to take the place of love and commitment. Isn\u2019t that all a bit close to home? Huxley even imagined a caste system created by genetic engineering, from alpha and beta types right down to a slave underclass. We may not have gone down that road, but gene-editing might soon enable Silicon Valley\u2019s super-rich to extend their lifespans and enhance the looks and intelligence of their offspring. Will we soon witness the birth of a new genetic super-class? Both these novels imagined extraordinary futures, but which better captures our present and offers the keener warning about where we may be heading? Join us on November 28th as our advocates go head to head, with a cast of top actors who will illustrate their arguments with readings from the novels.\n\nSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared.\n\nSee acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices