Soma (Brave New World)

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Soma is a fictional drug in Aldous Huxley's 1932 dystopian sci-fi novel Brave New World. In the novel, soma is an "opiate of the masses" that replaces religion and alcohol in a peaceful, but amoral, high-tech society far in the future. Soma, a narcotic tranquilizer in tablet and vapor form, is regularly taken by all members of society in order to produce feelings of euphoric happiness. Soma, however, is harmful or even deadly when taken in large amounts. In Brave New World, Linda died after consuming too much soma. Inspired by Huxley's trip to India in the mid-1920s, soma is based on the historical soma drink, used in Hindu rituals to induce a hallucinogenic state. Besides soma, Huxley also incorporated other ideas based on Indian culture into the book, such as the caste system used in the fictional society of the World-State. The idea of soma has become well known in popular culture, and it has been compared to later real-life drugs like Valium. The name has become representative of modern...

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