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s/t: An Inquiry into the Nature of Ideals & into the Methods Employed for Their Realization
Goals, roads & contemporary starting point
The nature of explanation
Efficacy & limitations of large-scale social reform
Social reform & violence
The planned society
Nature of the modern state
Centralization & decentralization
Decentralization & self-government
War
Individual work for reform
Inequality
Education
Religious practices
Beliefs
Ethics

394 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1937

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About the author

Aldous Huxley

1,042 books13k followers
Aldous Leonard Huxley was an English writer and philosopher. His bibliography spans nearly 50 books, including non-fiction works, as well as essays, narratives, and poems.
Born into the prominent Huxley family, he graduated from Balliol College, Oxford, with a degree in English literature. Early in his career, he published short stories and poetry and edited the literary magazine Oxford Poetry, before going on to publish travel writing, satire, and screenplays. He spent the latter part of his life in the United States, living in Los Angeles from 1937 until his death. By the end of his life, Huxley was widely acknowledged as one of the foremost intellectuals of his time. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature nine times, and was elected Companion of Literature by the Royal Society of Literature in 1962.
Huxley was a pacifist. He grew interested in philosophical mysticism, as well as universalism, addressing these subjects in his works such as The Perennial Philosophy (1945), which illustrates commonalities between Western and Eastern mysticism, and The Doors of Perception (1954), which interprets his own psychedelic experience with mescaline. In his most famous novel Brave New World (1932) and his final novel Island (1962), he presented his visions of dystopia and utopia, respectively.

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5 stars
121 (49%)
4 stars
71 (29%)
3 stars
34 (13%)
2 stars
14 (5%)
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4 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
Profile Image for Michael K..
Author 1 book13 followers
July 26, 2022
Do the ends justify the means by which we obtain our goals? War? Governing those we are to put in place to represent? Is it justifiable to limit the rights of the people that trusted us to protect those rights we have decided are too destructive, or limiting, to our abilities to govern them? If taken to the extreme infinite power of this complex equation, that is exactly to what extent you entrust yourself and your rights and liberties to, in this book. Aldous Huxley was an atheist and therefore saw everything without a moral law or belief. But rather saw people as an means to an ultimate end. If I saw everyone as just another beast to conquer, I might be impressed with this book. While it was good in its own right, but taken in context with the knowledge that Aldous was the grandson of Thomas Huxley who was dubbed, "Darwin's Bulldog" you can tell his mindset with respect to God by reading any synopsis of BRAVE NEW WORLD.

The bottom line, in my opinion, is this without an objective moral authority (external to our humanity) makes all moral actions subjective to the individual and is therefore an illegitimate moral standard.
Profile Image for Alexander Vasilkov.
6 reviews2 followers
October 19, 2014
It's a good idea to read this as a companion to Huxley's 1936 novel, Eyeless in Gaza. If the chapter on war does not turn you into a pacifist, I don't know what will. Also the chapter on Decentralization & self-government made me get serious about anarchism.
Profile Image for Clarissa.
137 reviews
February 22, 2020
I started reading this book in a PDF document. I read 2 pages and I instantly realised this is going to be one of the most important books of my life. I went straight to book depository and bought the book. I can't wait to continue reading this book, what a start to the decade!
Profile Image for Melody Newby.
39 reviews6 followers
January 21, 2017
I have read this book twice. One of my top 3 favorite books of all time.
Profile Image for Marian.
268 reviews209 followers
July 5, 2023
Huxley is like that eccentric older friend who demonstrates, by turns, profound wisdom and dizzying ignorance on a variety of topics, leaving you feeling a bit overwhelmed but indisputably more motivated to take on the world. Full review soon.
Profile Image for Elliot Parker.
71 reviews2 followers
March 15, 2022
Aldous Huxley's punt at an analysis of existence, life, politics, war and areas for reformation. I really connected with much he had to say about non-attachment, the need for peace and decentralisation. Many of the points he had are still extremely salient. This book was published in 1938 with Europe on the brink of war and it is startling how many of the problems Huxley purports to state impacted humanity then are still prevalent now.

I would recommend this book.
Profile Image for Hussain Isa.
175 reviews15 followers
October 23, 2019
الوسائل و الغايات

يدخل الرجل لهذه الدنيا ومعه آراء مجهزة عن كل شيء، وله فلسفة يحاول ان يخضع لها الحياة. في حين انه كان من الواجب ان يحيا المرء اولاً، ثم يحاول ان يلائم بين فلسفته و الحياة كما عرفها .. إن الحياة و الحقائق اشياء معقدة تعقيداً شديداً، مع الآراء "مهما تعسرت" تخدعنا ببساطتها. كل شيء مضطرب غامض في عالم الحياة، وكل شيء واضح في عالم الآراء. فهل من العجب بعد هذا ان يكون الرجل منا بائساً في حياته تعساً؟
..
ان الانسان يتطلع الى عصر ذهبي تسود فيه الحرية والسلام والعدل والحب الاخوي، عصر لا تسل فيه امة على امة سيفاً ولا يقاتل الإنسان فيه أخاه الإنسان، عصر يؤدي فيه تطور كل امة وتقدمها الى تطور الأمم الأخرى جميعاً وتقدمها.
..
إن التقدم الحق هو أن يحب الناس بعضهم بعضاً، اما جميع انواع التقدم الاخرى فهي ثانوية.
..
معنى التفسير :
أن الناس ميالون بطبيعتهم الى محاولة تفسير كل ماهو ظاهر و تبسيطة مثل مثل الجبن و الطباشير الاثنان مكونان من الكترونات لكن حين نجوع نأكل الجبن لانه للأكل على عكس الطباشير التي سوف تضرنا ان اكلناها.
و يعزي الناس الأشياء التي لم يستطيعوا تفسيرها إلى اي شيء ليريحوا انفسهم و ضمائرهم مثل ان الناس نسبوا الأشياء التي لم يستطيعوا تفسيرها إلى الله و ابعدوا عنهم عناء البحث و التفكير.

الإصلاح الإجتماعي الشامل :
الطبيعة الإنسانية ممكن ان تتبدل بإصدار القوانين والإصلاح الاجتماعي مثل تقييد بيع الاسلحة و تجريم القاتل ادى الى تخفيف نسبة القتل، و يقول الكاتب ان الذين يعتقدون انهم خيرون بطبيعتهم سوف يصبحون مجرمون اذا اتاحت لهم الفرصة في نيل هدف نبيل عن طريق القتل. و ان ليس هناك مجتمعات كاملة كما يجب على المجتمعات اخذ الأشياء المفيدة من المجتمعات الاخرى.

الإصلاح الاجتماعي و العنف :
يفتتح بقول "كل ما زاد العنف قلت الثورات" يعارض الكاتب هذا القول لان العنف يزيد حنق الافراد على مرتكبيه و سيستمر حنقهم الى مالا نهاية.
و العنف لا يؤدي الى الاصلاح بل الى الدمار لولا الاصلاحات التي تأتي بعد العنف لما تقدمت الدول.
Profile Image for Dominique.
44 reviews
December 21, 2023
I was at a bookstore looking for Huxley’s “Perennial Philosophy” when this (original) copy from 1930 found me. I am so happy that it did.

I have read four of Huxley’s books and this is my fifth, to say I’m an admirer is an understatement. He was brilliant and we happen to share a lot of similar ideas and theories.

I appreciated his chapters on war and beliefs the most. In general, his idea of non-attached people striving to connect with ultimate reality was also important to me.

“All that we are is the result of what we have thought.” (278)

“Goodness is the means by which men and women can overcome the illusion of being completely independent existents and can raise themselves to a level of being upon which it becomes possible, by recollection and meditation, to realize the fact of their oneness with ultimate reality.” (345)

“To know is relatively easy; to will and consistently do is always hard.” (378)

Thank you Huxley!!
Profile Image for Maria.
107 reviews6 followers
May 8, 2018
Ends and Means was published in 1937 in the run up to World War II; this means some of its ideas are very outdated. That said, it is also fascinating. Its description of the rise of dictators and nationalism and what Huxley correctly thought to be the run up to war has some unnerving parallels with the global situation in 2018. I also found the chapter on beliefs where Huxley talks about the human need for meaning (most human minds can't cope with meaninglessness), and the limitations of science in this regard particularly on point. The discussion of mystical experience was another aspect of the book that I found interesting.
Profile Image for #DÏ4B7Ø Chinnimasta-Bhairav.
622 reviews2 followers
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December 18, 2024
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To SEE a WORLD in a Grain of Sand,
And a HEAVEN in a Wild Flower,
Hold INFINITY in the palm of your hand
And ETERNITY in an Hour"
~ William Blake ~

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Form is Emptiness; Emptiness is form.
Form is not different than Emptiness;
Emptiness is not different than form
~ Heart Sutra ~

Like the ocean and its waves,
inseparable yet distinct

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" I and The Father are one,
I am The Truth,
The Life and The Path.”

Like a river flowing from its source,
connected and continuous

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Thy kingdom come.
Let the reign of divine
Truth, Life, and Love
be established in me,
and rule out of me all sin;
and may Thy Word
enrich the affections of all mankind

A mighty oak tree standing firm against the storm,
As sunlight scatters the shadows of night
A river nourishing the land it flows through

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Profile Image for Chad Manske.
1,165 reviews35 followers
August 12, 2022
Many are familiar with Huxley’s futuristic Brave New World, having read it in grade or middle school. But fewer know that he was a prolific writer, philosopher and poet. And even few still would probably have even heard, let alone read, this 1937 philosophical treatise. I learned of it only from coming across it’s reference in another book so I had to get it! Contemporary intellectuals still struggle over the relationship of ends to means, especially in political discourse. Pacifism is still an important topic today, as terrorism and dictatorial states abound. Many will find solace in Ends and Means, while others will find the book only a case study of the relationship of ethics to politics. How can the regression in charity through which we are living, and for which each one of us is in some measure responsible, be halted and reversed? How can existing society be transformed into the ideal society described by the prophets? How can the average sensual man and the exceptional (and more dangerous) ambitious man be transformed into a non-attached being, one who can create a society significantly better than our own? Huxley discusses the relationship between the theories and the practices of reformers and the nature of the universe. He argues that our beliefs about the ultimate nature of reality help us formulate conceptions of right and wrong, not only in our private life, but also in the sphere of politics and economics. Far from being irrelevant, our philosophical beliefs are the final determining factor in our actions. This provocative classic volume will continue to stimulate discussion and thought, and could likely be read over and over again.
Profile Image for J. Walker.
210 reviews4 followers
November 13, 2023
By way of explanation I have to stipulate I've been a student of Huxley since freshman year of college, beyond the ubiquitous BRAVE NEW WORLD I discovered worlds of fiction, philosophy, science and natural science followed hard on by a mystical bent in the last part of his life and career as an author.

I'm not sure I read ENDS AND MEANS in college or immediately after; I left behind half of my original paperback library when I left college. Yet, reading or re-reading Chapter One - "Goals, Roads and Starting Point", I found myself reading what amounted to my own thoughts back at me. I absorbed Huxley's ideas and worldview so completely, that I identify directly with this point in his journey from moderne cynic to full-on mystic.

I picked up an original edition (5th edition) after beginning to re-read HUXLEY IN HOLLYWOOD, beginning in 1937 when he fled Europe to begin a lecture tour with Gerald Heard about pacifism, and this was the first of his works to come out of that period; TIME MUST HAVE A STOP and THE PERENNIAL PHILOSOPHY make up a triptych that chronicles this transformative period, both of which have been particular favorites since my first encounter during college. Yet, I'm not sure I've ever read this particular book, and an original-original that is still in great shape (without the cover sleeve, sadly) that I'm honored to add this volume to the Archives.
Profile Image for Peter Adams.
146 reviews1 follower
July 5, 2024
I found this book by accident because a archive.org link pointed to it as a citation of something Huxley had said, it threw me into the middle of the book and then I couldn't stop reading, as the book bombarded me with novel and interesting ideas, which made me want to read the entire thing. While Huxley is known for portraying a dystopia, in this virtually unknown piece, he attempts to lay out where society should be heading toward. He takes a form of integral approach, tackling a large variety of subjects, where he takes a very specific, and interesting, angles.

Fundamentally, Huxley is inspired by Buddhism and various oriental and mystical philosophies, and probably influenced by psychedelics, and made the case that the individual and society should strive toward "non-attachment" as the ideal. He's critical of Christianity, nationalism and especially war.

Huxley is a joy to read, he's intelligent, rational, good-willed, and has unique and interesting takes, and the fact that he's coming from a totally unexplored place from my perspective, onto topics I already know well, with intelligent and lucid sense, makes his work very worthwhile to read, additionally, he's such an unlikely figure, combining a sharp intellect, Britishness together with hippy sentiments and eastern spirituality, while also being a very serious and dedicated thinker.
Profile Image for Shahad. .
1 review
May 29, 2020
يقدم هكسلي من خلال هذا الكتاب حلولًا مقترحة للرقي بالمجتمعات الإنسانية ونبذ لأشكال العنف، لكن الوسائل تتضارب فكان لابد من محاولة لحصرها، فكيف من الممكن تحقيق غاية سامية كهذه؟ وهل المدنية والحرب متلازمان؟ وكيف يتم إصلاح الهيئات الصناعية ذات الصبغة الديكتاتورية؟
هناك العديد من الاسئلة طرحت في الكتاب، لكن لم يستفض كثيرًا في الإجابة عليها.

دور الفرد في الإصلاح: على الفرد أن يعي بأهمية تحرره من ذاته أولًا، للدرجة التي يقدم بها المصلحة الجماعية على رغباته، عندها يستطيع زرع هذه الروح للجماعات الأخرى ونشرها على نطاق أوسع.

كما يشير إلى أن التقدم في العلوم والم��ارف يعد تقدمًا ثانويًا؛ ما لم تسمو البشرية بأخلاقها، بل قد تجترنا العلوم نحو الوسائل الخبيثة كالتي يقتضيها مجال صناعة الأسلحة وروادها، فما دامت هذه التجارة قائمة فلا مناص من شر الحروب، والخطر ليس فيما يعتريها من شر ظاهري بل فيما يكتسبه الناس من عادات ومشاعر تعقب هذه الحروب، فباتت المسألة كالحلقة المفرغة لما يؤججه سماسرة هذه الصناعات من نزاعات بهدف الأرباح، وترويج القادة لفكرة التسلح لغرض الدفاع.

يرمي الكاتب إلى ضرورة استغلال الائتلاف التلقائي الذي يعمل به العقل على اخضاع الاختلافات في وحدات مؤلفة، في ظل "عالم تعبد فيه كل جماعة قومية وثنها الخاص".

المبادئ والإصلاحات التي يتبناها الكتاب جليلة جدًا، لكنها أشبه ماتكون نظرية أبعد من إمكانية إسقاطها على الواقع.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Benjamin Stahl.
2,188 reviews64 followers
November 28, 2021
Somewhat all over the place, perhaps. And Huxley strikes me as such a conflicted, searching soul who never quite found what he was looking for, even though he often glanced in the right direction. Ends and Means, one of his later non-fictional works, testifies to his intellect, the depth of his perspective, and his enflamed quest for righteousness in the world. This is a book that takes issues with a wide range of things on both sides of the spectrum - in progressivism vs. conservatism, militarism vs. pacifism, religion vs. atheism, East vs. West.

Yet it isn't a book that aims to confront and tear asunder, but rather to forge a middle-ground between all peoples and creeds. Written right on the eve of the Second World War, it remains today a very thoughtful and relevant work. That certainly isn't to say I agreed with all of Huxley's opinions, but I found this book both thoughtful and enlightening.
166 reviews3 followers
September 7, 2022
It is a real shame this book is rarely mentioned. Its a rare work: a clear, insightful, and relevant overview of man's modern situation. Huxley has hit on all the major topics of modern life, and in many areas, predicted war, totalitarianism, evil (as in separateness from others but especially for political ends), and the superficial imbecility of our practical and spiritual life. I know of few others who could synthesize so thoroughly, and be so prescient almost 90 years later.

I personally do not think the path of the mystic is the only way to enlightenment, and Huxley himself would develop other paths before his death. And Huxley at times can be a bit elitist, not empathizing at times with those who are not as intelligent and enlightened as he. However, he is as clear of a writer on so many critical issues that I know of. He would be appalled by our current world, media, government, society; but he did predict it.

A must read.
Profile Image for Aaron Michael.
804 reviews1 follower
Shelved as 'reference'
April 6, 2024
“For myself, as, no doubt, for most of my contemporaries, the philosophy of meaninglessness was essentially an instrument of liberation. The liberation we desired was simultaneously liberation from a certain political and economic system and liberation from a certain system of morality. We objected to the morality because it interfered with our sexual freedom; we objected to the political and economic system because it was unjust. The supporters of these systems claimed that in some way they embodied the meaning (a Christian meaning, they insisted) of the world. There was one admirably simple method of confuting these people and at the same time justifying ourselves in our political and erotical revolt: we could deny that the world had any meaning whatsoever.”
Profile Image for Lobo¡!.
39 reviews4 followers
October 19, 2023
De tres páginas una es alguien de 1937 inventandose el futuro y citando a estudios obsoletos, otra Huxley explicando porque el Budismo es la mejor religión, y la tercera la declaración más fuerte contra el capitalismo y nacionalismo que hayas leído hasta ahora.

Hay que hacer concesiones (sexismo fuerte tambien al final) pero es una lectura brutal para entender por qué escribió Brave New World y el por qué de cada cada detalle de su distopía.
Profile Image for Chez.
50 reviews
July 9, 2023
I love Huxley so I would always give him five stars. I thought reading this book right now was particularly interesting, as it's written as the world is heading into World War 2, so it's fascinating to see how he saw the world then and how people were acting, and to draw comparisons to how we and the world are now.
Profile Image for Ashraf Bashir.
226 reviews132 followers
August 23, 2020
Very idealistic, not practical, and the author is ridiculing counter ideas without showing their deficiencies. The ideas in the book are good, but the author was super arrogant especially in the last chapter where he was directly insulting great philosophers because they don't share his opinions!
Profile Image for Jacob Olness.
1 review1 follower
September 19, 2017
An insightful look into Huxley's ideal society and his proposed means for achieving it. As relevant 80 years later as it was when it was published in 1937.
Profile Image for M.M.
116 reviews7 followers
August 7, 2019
كتاب مُذهل ،يُقراء مرة ومرتين وست
Profile Image for Schwimfan.
60 reviews
April 6, 2021
Very prescient. I've rarely identified as much with someone's personal philosophy as with Huxley's. This might be the closest book I've ever read to my own feelings on society, belief, and humanism.
Profile Image for Ward Hammond.
296 reviews6 followers
March 19, 2017
I read this before while working at the library. Many parts of this are reprinted in the volume of essays I'm reading. The writing is from the 30's and is surprisingly relevant today. Worth a real study.
Profile Image for Tom.
25 reviews17 followers
November 13, 2012
A very remarkable and thought-provoking book. This book is 75 years old this year. I'm really glad I took the time to read it carefully. I agree with most of his observations. Not that much has changed, despite all that has happened since 1937. You should read this.
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