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"In the face of pain there are no heroes." This is a small quote from the book 1984 (usually fully spelt out but I'm lazy today) by George Orwell. In this bonus episode I philosophise about some of the intriguing concepts raised by the book, which include: the structural and grammatical components of Newspeak and how the language was aimed to diminish consciousness, why living in the present was discouraged and how negative emotions were used as an energy outlet, the psychological burden of torture/meaninglessness/pain, doublethink and why it is a useful concept to use in real life and the genius of the book as a whole.
As always, we hope you enjoy, Mere Mortals out!
Timeline:0:00 - Introduction0:50 - Language modification and newspeak6:05 - The past, present and future10:41 - The need for an emotional pressure valve12:40 - Psychological hell: knowing the how but not the why18:54 - The value of consciousness22:25 - Cultural mainstays: doublethink, control and sanity28:41 - Why 1984 is so good!