如果说上一章是“战争论”,那么这一章就是“意识论”。如果说上一章说明了war is peace ,那么这一章就阐述了 ignorance is strength .
开篇介绍了社会组织(structure of society),the High ,the Middle ,and the Low .政权在高阶和中级更替,低阶永远也实现不了他们的目标,对他们而言,改朝换代只不过是名称的改变。
新主义的产生,除了认识了历史规律(the accumulation of historical knowledge ),主要的原因是工业化的发展使平等成为可能。But the principal, underlying cause was that human equality had become technically possible.所以在意识形态上统治阶级每一个新的政治理念或主义都指向了等级制度和严格管制Every new political theory, be whatever name it called itself ,led back to hierarchy and regimentation .
实现这种极权和寡头政治的手段有:对公民的监控(constant surveillance), 公有制(the only secure basis for oligarchy is collectivism ), 意识控制(consciousness moulding). 其中意识控制是至关重要的,文中介绍了多种手段方式,如memerbship, thought police ,crimestop ,blackwhite . alternation of the past , reality control .
那么我们也许不禁要问,为什么要阻止人类社会实现公平,为什么要处心积虑阻碍历史的前进? 文末给出了答案Here we reach the central secret .As we have seen, the mystique of the party depends upon doublethink . But deeper than this lies the original motive, the never-questioned instinct first led to the seizure of power and brought doublethink , the thought police ,continuous warfare ,and all the other necessary paraphernalia into existence afterwards . 那就是攫取权力。一切的一切都是源于对权力的向往和控制 !!