Is the society in the book better off than ours?

[Olga Markova]

I don't think the futuristic society portrayed in the book is better off than ours. Humans have been given the brain power to make choices, and in this world, humans are expected to behave and act like robots, having no choices in life. If they do step out of line, the punishments are cruel. This wouldn't be a world I would want to live in. I would not be able to cope if I wasn't allowed to think for myself and it also sounds like a drab world with all the gender-neutral colours; nope, definitely not a better world!

I fully agree with Tara. For me the futuristic world in the book is certainly not a better world than ours. In that futuristic world the controls at all levels, the total and absolute lack of privacy even in what is meant as "privacy booths", and the pre-programming of the human life paths since before they are born, are suffocating. Our world may have its issues, and many of them, but it still maintains the personal freedoms and the free will to think and act - that makes our world better than the world in the book. And the futuristic world simply cannot be better than ours because the AIs who are designed to control it are prototypes of humans and are made by copying the consciousness of humans, like Kim, carefully selected not to be perfectly virtuous. As the result, the AIs inherit the human sins plus they are made to lack self-awareness and be heartlessly unemotional and blindly obedient. What can you expect from this kind of enforcement authorities?! So no, not a better world in the book!

[Hannah Hampton]

What an interesting question! I think it would help to define what "better" means. Characters in this book don't have to worry about socially constructed prejudices or inequalities based on appearance or gender, but they must sacrifice all individuality to protect themselves from these things.

[Hubre De Klerk]

I don't think it was worth the price at all. Having almost no control over what you wear, what you eat, what you say and do, etc. But most of all, giving your child up - that is a definite no from me. Not worth the price at all!

[Limpho Mojakisane]

Nope. It definitely wasn't worth the price. They seem too restricted to a lot of things.

[Limpho Mojakisane]

I don't think it was worth the price at all. Having almost no control over what you wear, what you eat, what you say and do, etc. But most of all, giving your child up - that is a definite no from me. Not worth the price at all!

I have to agree with you on this one. Imagine not being able to raise your own child because of some terms! NOPE! Not for me!

[Lindiwe Chakhala]

I don't think it was worth the price at all. Having almost no control over what you wear, what you eat, what you say and do, etc. But most of all, giving your child up - that is a definite no from me. Not worth the price at all!

I agree. Just to look at the other side of the conversation, there are some societies that would not mind having no full control over their lives as long as things are running smoothly. Some aspects of the book do exist in the real world in different parts of the world.

[Amy Luman]

I’m not sure that the society, as a whole, is either better or worse, just different. There were aspects, of course, that were worse, not getting to pick your partner and having no say in your life, for example. It would take getting used to. Fortunately, it is not thrust upon them all at once.

[Ruka NK]

It definitely did not seem worth the price they paid. It felt a lot like a cult, and a heirarchy with poor people at the bottom was still in place. The society appeared to have had no avenues of gaining relief from everyday human issues and issues it created too.

[Ruka NK]

I don't think it was worth the price at all. Having almost no control over what you wear, what you eat, what you say and do, etc. But most of all, giving your child up - that is a definite no from me. Not worth the price at all!

My thoughts exactly, and the whole "Our children" but not caring whether the children had non traumatizing childhoods did not make sense.

[Hubre De Klerk]

Not at all, by taking them away from their parents I believe they traumatized them more!

[Harty Muli]

I think they have paid a heavy price for this progress because the citizens are easily susceptible to stress caused by their mode of interacting among the citizens. On a few occasions, Kim is cited as having an “empty void casting an empty shadow on an empty space…” due to the aftereffects of a love relationship between her and Rey.

[Chris Alex Powell]

I'm not sure I would want to live in that type of society. It made me cringe. I should decide what and how I would behave. To answer your question, the price was too hard to pay. Yes, the have sophisticated technology but I prefer our time.

[Grace Lee Rose]

Nope. I wouldn't say their society is better off than ours. In some aspects yes, but in some, a big fat no. I would find it so appalling if an AI is to decide what I will eat. Gross.

[Tracy Harris 1]

I don't think they were in a better society. Many of todays issues were solved such a food and housing shortages, but this was at the cost of free will, self and even love. The level of institutional control was far to great and imposed by AI's which lacked the humanity to understand our basic insticts and needs.

[Wilkister Inzai Avagalwa]

I would rather choose our current society than the futuristic one discussed in the book because the futuristic one denies humans freedom of will which is an integral part of human beings.