Science fiction is a literary genre that can be used in humanities courses to discuss ideas, attitudes, ethics, morality, and the effects of science and technology on the world's population. One of the best examples of a "classic" science fiction novel which can provoke class discussion is Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World," written in 1932. In this novel the visionary Huxley addressed many of today's scientific and technological issues long before they manifested themselves. Huxley knew how to play on the human being's fear of dehumanization via the route of technology and rhetoric. In "Brave New World" all societal ills have been practically eliminated--it is a sad note that today's reality is, in many ways, worse than Huxley's fiction. The environmental depredation in the novel is better managed than in real life, and some ecological balance is maintained. In the real world of 1994, starvation, sectarian wars, overpopulation, and standardization of society are all problems. Sixty years ago Huxley issued a warning in the form of a disturbing yet entertaining story. (NKA)