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1984 by George Orwell, Part two, Chapter 9 (7)

Part two, Chapter 9 (7)

It is learned by the majority of Party members, and certainly by all who are intelligent as well as orthodox. In Oldspeak it is called, quite frankly, ‘reality control'. In Newspeak it is called DOUBLETHINK, though DOUBLETHINK comprises much else as well.

DOUBLETHINK means the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them. The Party intellectual knows in which direction his memories must be altered; he therefore knows that he is playing tricks with reality; but by the exercise of DOUBLETHINK he also satisfies himself that reality is not violated. The process has to be conscious, or it would not be carried out with sufficient precision, but it also has to be unconscious, or it would bring with it a feeling of falsity and hence of guilt. DOUBLETHINK lies at the very heart of Ingsoc, since the essential act of the Party is to use conscious deception while retaining the firmness of purpose that goes with complete honesty. To tell deliberate lies while genuinely believing in them, to forget any fact that has become inconvenient, and then, when it becomes necessary again, to draw it back from oblivion for just so long as it is needed, to deny the existence of objective reality and all the while to take account of the reality which one denies — all this is indispensably necessary. Even in using the word DOUBLETHINK it is necessary to exercise DOUBLETHINK. For by using the word one admits that one is tampering with reality; by a fresh act of DOUBLETHINK one erases this knowledge; and so on indefinitely, with the lie always one leap ahead of the truth. Ultimately it is by means of DOUBLETHINK that the Party has been able — and may, for all we know, continue to be able for thousands of years — to arrest the course of history.

All past oligarchies have fallen from power either because they ossified or because they grew soft. Either they became stupid and arrogant, failed to adjust themselves to changing circumstances, and were overthrown; or they became liberal and cowardly, made concessions when they should have used force, and once again were overthrown. They fell, that is to say, either through consciousness or through unconsciousness. It is the achievement of the Party to have produced a system of thought in which both conditions can exist simultaneously. And upon no other intellectual basis could the dominion of the Party be made permanent. If one is to rule, and to continue ruling, one must be able to dislocate the sense of reality. For the secret of rulership is to combine a belief in one's own infallibility with the Power to learn from past mistakes.

It need hardly be said that the subtlest practitioners of DOUBLETHINK are those who invented DOUBLETHINK and know that it is a vast system of mental cheating. In our society, those who have the best knowledge of what is happening are also those who are furthest from seeing the world as it is. In general, the greater the understanding, the greater the delusion; the more intelligent, the less sane. One clear illustration of this is the fact that war hysteria increases in intensity as one rises in the social scale. Those whose attitude towards the war is most nearly rational are the subject peoples of the disputed territories. To these people the war is simply a continuous calamity which sweeps to and fro over their bodies like a tidal wave. Which side is winning is a matter of complete indifference to them. They are aware that a change of overlordship means simply that they will be doing the same work as before for new masters who treat them in the same manner as the old ones. The slightly more favoured workers whom we call ‘the proles' are only intermittently conscious of the war. When it is necessary they can be prodded into frenzies of fear and hatred, but when left to themselves they are capable of forgetting for long periods that the war is happening. It is in the ranks of the Party, and above all of the Inner Party, that the true war enthusiasm is found. World-conquest is believed in most firmly by those who know it to be impossible. This peculiar linking-together of opposites — knowledge with ignorance, cynicism with fanaticism

is one of the chief distinguishing marks of Oceanic society. The official ideology abounds with contradictions even when there is no practical reason for them. Thus, the Party rejects and vilifies every principle for which the Socialist movement originally stood, and it chooses to do this in the name of Socialism. It preaches a contempt for the working class unexampled for centuries past, and it dresses its members in a uniform which was at one time peculiar to manual workers and was adopted for that reason. It systematically undermines the solidarity of the family, and it calls its leader by a name which is a direct appeal to the sentiment of family loyalty. Even the names of the four Ministries by which we are governed exhibit a sort of impudence in their deliberate reversal of the facts. The Ministry of Peace concerns itself with war, the Ministry of Truth with lies, the Ministry of Love with torture and the Ministry of Plenty with starvation. These contradictions are not accidental, nor do they result from ordinary hypocrisy; they are deliberate exercises in DOUBLETHINK. For it is only by reconciling contradictions that power can be retained indefinitely. In no other way could the ancient cycle be broken. If human equality is to be for ever averted — if the High, as we have called them, are to keep their places permanently — then the prevailing mental condition must be controlled insanity.

But there is one question which until this moment we have almost ignored. It is; WHY should human equality be averted? Supposing that the mechanics of the process have been rightly described, what is the motive for this huge, accurately planned effort to freeze history at a particular moment of time?

Here we reach the central secret. As we have seen. the mystique of the Party, and above all of the Inner Party, depends upon DOUBLETHINK But deeper than this lies the original motive, the never-questioned instinct that first led to the seizure of power and brought DOUBLETHINK, the Thought Police, continuous warfare, and all the other necessary paraphernalia into existence afterwards. This motive really consists . . . Winston became aware of silence, as one becomes aware of a new sound. It seemed to him that Julia had been very still for some time past. She was lying on her side, naked from the waist upwards, with her cheek pillowed on her hand and one dark lock tumbling across her eyes. Her breast rose and fell slowly and regularly.

‘Julia.'

No answer.

‘Julia, are you awake?'

No answer.

She was asleep. He shut the book, put it carefully on the floor, lay down, and pulled the coverlet over both of them.

He had still, he reflected, not learned the ultimate secret. He understood HOW; he did not understand WHY. Chapter I, like Chapter III, had not actually told him anything that he did not know, it had merely systematized the knowledge that he possessed already. But after reading it he knew better than before that he was not mad. Being in a minority, even a minority of one, did not make you mad. There was truth and there was untruth, and if you clung to the truth even against the whole world, you were not mad. A yellow beam from the sinking sun slanted in through the window and fell across the pillow. He shut his eyes. The sun on his face and the girl's smooth body touching his own gave him a strong, sleepy, confident feeling. He was safe, everything was all right. He fell asleep murmuring ‘Sanity is not statistical,' with the feeling that this remark contained in it a profound wisdom.

Part two, Chapter 9 (7)

It is learned by the majority of Party members, and certainly by all who are intelligent as well as orthodox. In Oldspeak it is called, quite frankly, ‘reality control'. En Oldspeak se le llama, francamente, "control de la realidad". На старомові це називається, відверто кажучи, «контроль реальності». In Newspeak it is called DOUBLETHINK, though DOUBLETHINK comprises much else as well. En Newspeak se llama DOUBLETHINK, aunque DOUBLETHINK también comprende mucho más. У новомовній мові це називається ДВОМІСЛЕННЯ, хоча ДВОМІСЛЕННЯ також містить багато іншого.

DOUBLETHINK means the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them. DOBLE PENSAMIENTO significa el poder de tener dos creencias contradictorias en la mente simultáneamente y aceptarlas. The Party intellectual knows in which direction his memories must be altered; he therefore knows that he is playing tricks with reality; but by the exercise of DOUBLETHINK he also satisfies himself that reality is not violated. El intelectual del Partido sabe en qué dirección debe alterar su memoria; por tanto, sabe que le está jugando una mala pasada a la realidad; pero mediante el ejercicio del DOBLE PENSAMIENTO también se satisface a sí mismo de que no se viola la realidad. The process has to be conscious, or it would not be carried out with sufficient precision, but it also has to be unconscious, or it would bring with it a feeling of falsity and hence of guilt. El proceso tiene que ser consciente, o no se llevaría a cabo con suficiente precisión, pero también tiene que ser inconsciente, o traería consigo un sentimiento de falsedad y por ende de culpa. Процес має бути свідомим, інакше він не здійснюватиметься з достатньою точністю, але він також має бути несвідомим, інакше він принесе з собою відчуття фальшивості, а отже, провини. DOUBLETHINK lies at the very heart of Ingsoc, since the essential act of the Party is to use conscious deception while retaining the firmness of purpose that goes with complete honesty. DOUBLETHINK se encuentra en el corazón mismo del Ingsoc, ya que el acto esencial del Partido es utilizar el engaño consciente manteniendo la firmeza de propósito que acompaña a la total honestidad. ДВОЄМИСЛЕННЯ лежить у самому серці Ingsoc, оскільки основний акт Партії полягає у використанні свідомого обману, зберігаючи при цьому твердість мети, яка поєднується з цілковитою чесністю. To tell deliberate lies while genuinely believing in them, to forget any fact that has become inconvenient, and then, when it becomes necessary again, to draw it back from oblivion for just so long as it is needed, to deny the existence of objective reality and all the while to take account of the reality which one denies — all this is indispensably necessary. Decir mentiras deliberadas mientras se cree genuinamente en ellas, olvidar cualquier hecho que se haya vuelto inconveniente y luego, cuando vuelva a ser necesario, sacarlo del olvido durante el tiempo que sea necesario, negar la existencia de la realidad objetiva. y al mismo tiempo tener en cuenta la realidad que se niega, todo esto es indispensable. Even in using the word DOUBLETHINK it is necessary to exercise DOUBLETHINK. Навіть вживаючи слово ДВОЄМИСЛЕННЯ, необхідно вправляти ДВОЄМИСЛЕННЯ. For by using the word one admits that one is tampering with reality; by a fresh act of DOUBLETHINK one erases this knowledge; and so on indefinitely, with the lie always one leap ahead of the truth. Porque al usar la palabra uno admite que está alterando la realidad; con un nuevo acto de DOBLE PENSAMIENTO se borra este conocimiento; y así indefinidamente, con la mentira siempre un paso por delante de la verdad. Ultimately it is by means of DOUBLETHINK that the Party has been able — and may, for all we know, continue to be able for thousands of years — to arrest the course of history. En última instancia, es por medio de DOBLE PENSAR que el Partido ha podido - y puede, por lo que sabemos, seguir siendo capaz durante miles de años - de detener el curso de la historia. Зрештою, саме за допомогою ДВОЙНОГО МИСЛЕННЯ Партія змогла — і, наскільки ми знаємо, може бути в змозі протягом тисячоліть — зупинити хід історії.

All past oligarchies have fallen from power either because they ossified or because they grew soft. Todas las oligarquías del pasado han caído del poder porque se osificaron o porque se ablandaron. Either they became stupid and arrogant, failed to adjust themselves to changing circumstances, and were overthrown; or they became liberal and cowardly, made concessions when they should have used force, and once again were overthrown. They fell, that is to say, either through consciousness or through unconsciousness. Cayeron, es decir, por conciencia o por inconsciencia. It is the achievement of the Party to have produced a system of thought in which both conditions can exist simultaneously. And upon no other intellectual basis could the dominion of the Party be made permanent. Y sobre ninguna otra base intelectual podría hacerse permanente el dominio del Partido. If one is to rule, and to continue ruling, one must be able to dislocate the sense of reality. Si uno va a gobernar y continuar gobernando, debe ser capaz de dislocar el sentido de la realidad. For the secret of rulership is to combine a belief in one's own infallibility with the Power to learn from past mistakes. Porque el secreto del gobierno es combinar la creencia en la propia infalibilidad con el poder de aprender de los errores del pasado. Бо секрет правління полягає в поєднанні віри у власну непогрішність із силою вчитися на минулих помилках.

It need hardly be said that the subtlest practitioners of DOUBLETHINK are those who invented DOUBLETHINK and know that it is a vast system of mental cheating. No hace falta decir que los practicantes más sutiles del DOUBLETHINK son los que inventaron el DOUBLETHINK y saben que es un vasto sistema de engaño mental. In our society, those who have the best knowledge of what is happening are also those who are furthest from seeing the world as it is. En nuestra sociedad, quienes tienen el mejor conocimiento de lo que está sucediendo son también quienes están más lejos de ver el mundo tal como es. In general, the greater the understanding, the greater the delusion; the more intelligent, the less sane. En general, cuanto mayor es la comprensión, mayor es la ilusión; cuanto más inteligente, menos cuerdo. Загалом, чим більше розуміння, тим більше омана; чим розумніший, тим менш розумний. One clear illustration of this is the fact that war hysteria increases in intensity as one rises in the social scale. Un ejemplo claro de esto es el hecho de que la histeria de guerra aumenta en intensidad a medida que uno asciende en la escala social. Яскравою ілюстрацією цього є той факт, що воєнна істерія зростає в міру того, як людина піднімається в соціальній шкалі. Those whose attitude towards the war is most nearly rational are the subject peoples of the disputed territories. Ті, чиє ставлення до війни є найбільш раціональним, це підвладні народи спірних територій. To these people the war is simply a continuous calamity which sweeps to and fro over their bodies like a tidal wave. Which side is winning is a matter of complete indifference to them. Qué lado está ganando es una cuestión de total indiferencia para ellos. They are aware that a change of overlordship means simply that they will be doing the same work as before for new masters who treat them in the same manner as the old ones. The slightly more favoured workers whom we call ‘the proles' are only intermittently conscious of the war. Los trabajadores un poco más favorecidos, a quienes llamamos «proles», sólo son conscientes de la guerra de forma intermitente. Трохи привілейовані робітники, яких ми називаємо «пролами», лише час від часу усвідомлюють війну. When it is necessary they can be prodded into frenzies of fear and hatred, but when left to themselves they are capable of forgetting for long periods that the war is happening. Коли це необхідно, їх можна підштовхнути до божевілля страху та ненависті, але, надані самі собі, вони здатні надовго забути, що йде війна. It is in the ranks of the Party, and above all of the Inner Party, that the true war enthusiasm is found. Es en las filas del Partido, y sobre todo del Partido Interior, donde se encuentra el verdadero entusiasmo bélico. Справжній воєнний ентузіазм міститься в лавах партії, і насамперед усередині партії. World-conquest is believed in most firmly by those who know it to be impossible. This peculiar linking-together of opposites — knowledge with ignorance, cynicism with fanaticism Esta peculiar vinculación de los opuestos: conocimiento con ignorancia, cinismo con fanatismo

is one of the chief distinguishing marks of Oceanic society. es una de las principales señas de identidad de la sociedad oceánica. є однією з головних відмінних ознак океанічного суспільства. The official ideology abounds with contradictions even when there is no practical reason for them. La ideología oficial abunda en contradicciones incluso cuando no hay una razón práctica para ellas. Thus, the Party rejects and vilifies every principle for which the Socialist movement originally stood, and it chooses to do this in the name of Socialism. Por lo tanto, el Partido rechaza y vilipendia todos los principios que originalmente defendió el movimiento socialista, y elige hacerlo en nombre del socialismo. It preaches a contempt for the working class unexampled for centuries past, and it dresses its  members  in  a uniform which  was  at one  time  peculiar to manual workers and was adopted for that reason. Predica un desprecio por la clase trabajadora sin precedentes en los siglos pasados, y viste a sus miembros con un uniforme que en un tiempo fue peculiar de los trabajadores manuales y fue adoptado por esa razón. Він проповідує безприкладну презирство до робітничого класу протягом минулих століть, і він одягає своїх членів у форму, яка колись була властива робітникам фізичної праці і була прийнята з цієї причини. It systematically undermines the solidarity of the family, and it calls its leader by a name which is a direct appeal to the sentiment of family loyalty. Socava sistemáticamente la solidaridad de la familia y llama a su líder por un nombre que apela directamente al sentimiento de lealtad familiar. Він систематично підриває солідарність сім’ї та називає свого лідера іменем, яке є прямим закликом до почуття сімейної відданості. Even the names of the four Ministries by which we are governed exhibit a sort of impudence in their deliberate reversal of the facts. Incluso los nombres de los cuatro ministerios que nos gobiernan exhiben una especie de descaro en su deliberada inversión de los hechos. The Ministry of Peace concerns itself with war, the Ministry of Truth with lies, the Ministry of Love with torture and the Ministry of Plenty with starvation. These contradictions are not accidental, nor do they result from ordinary hypocrisy; they are deliberate exercises in DOUBLETHINK. For it is only by reconciling contradictions that power can be retained indefinitely. Porque sólo reconciliando las contradicciones se puede retener el poder indefinidamente. In no other way could the ancient cycle be broken. De ninguna otra manera podría romperse el antiguo ciclo. If human equality is to be for ever averted — if the High, as we have called them, are to keep their places permanently — then the prevailing mental condition must be controlled insanity. Si la igualdad humana ha de evitarse para siempre, si los Altos, como los hemos llamado, van a mantener sus lugares de forma permanente, entonces la condición mental prevaleciente debe ser la locura controlada. Якщо людська рівність має бути назавжди унеможливлена — якщо Вищі, як ми їх називаємо, хочуть назавжди зберегти свої місця, — тоді переважаючим психічним станом має бути контрольоване божевілля.

But there is one question which until this moment we have almost ignored. It is; WHY should human equality be averted? Це є; ЧОМУ слід уникати рівності людей? Supposing that the mechanics of the process have been rightly described, what is the motive for this huge, accurately planned effort to freeze history at a particular moment of time? Suponiendo que la mecánica del proceso se haya descrito correctamente, ¿cuál es el motivo de este enorme esfuerzo planificado con precisión para congelar la historia en un momento determinado?

Here we reach the central secret. Aquí llegamos al secreto central. As we have seen. the mystique of the Party, and above all of the Inner Party, depends upon DOUBLETHINK But deeper than this lies the original motive, the never-questioned instinct that first led to the seizure of power and brought DOUBLETHINK, the Thought Police, continuous warfare, and all the other necessary paraphernalia into existence afterwards. La mística del Partido, y sobre todo del Partido Interior, depende del DOBLE PENSAMIENTO. Pero más profundo que esto radica el motivo original, el instinto nunca cuestionado que primero llevó a la toma del poder y trajo al DOBLE PENSAMIENTO, la Policía del Pensamiento, la guerra continua, y toda la demás parafernalia necesaria en existencia después. This motive really consists . . . Winston became aware of silence, as one becomes aware of a new sound. . . Winston se dio cuenta del silencio, como uno se da cuenta de un nuevo sonido. It seemed to him that Julia had been very still for some time past. Le pareció que Julia había estado muy quieta durante algún tiempo. Йому здалося, що Джулія деякий час була дуже нерухома. She was lying on her side, naked from the waist upwards, with her cheek pillowed on her hand and one dark lock tumbling across her eyes. Estaba acostada de costado, desnuda de la cintura para arriba, con la mejilla apoyada en la mano y un mechón oscuro cayendo sobre sus ojos. Вона лежала на боці, оголена від пояса догори, щока була підперта рукою, а одне темне пасмо спадало на очі. Her breast rose and fell slowly and regularly. Su pecho subía y bajaba lenta y regularmente.

‘Julia.'

No answer.

‘Julia, are you awake?'

No answer.

She was asleep. He shut the book, put it carefully on the floor, lay down, and pulled the coverlet over both of them. Він закрив книгу, обережно поклав її на підлогу, ліг і натягнув покривало на них обох.

He had still, he reflected, not learned the ultimate secret. Aún, reflexionó, no había aprendido el último secreto. Він досі не дізнався головну таємницю, подумав він. He understood HOW; he did not understand WHY. Chapter I, like Chapter III, had not actually told him anything that he did not know, it had merely systematized the knowledge that he possessed already. But after reading it he knew better than before that he was not mad. Pero después de leerlo supo mejor que antes que no estaba enojado. Being in a minority, even a minority of one, did not make you mad. Estar en una minoría, incluso en una minoría de uno, no te enojaba. There was truth and there was untruth, and if you clung to the truth even against the whole world, you were not mad. A yellow beam from the sinking sun slanted in through the window and fell across the pillow. He shut his eyes. The sun on his face and the girl's smooth body touching his own gave him a strong, sleepy, confident feeling. Сонце на його обличчі та гладке тіло дівчини, що торкалося його власного, викликали в нього сильне, сонне та впевнене відчуття. He was safe, everything was all right. Estaba a salvo, todo estaba bien. He fell asleep murmuring ‘Sanity is not statistical,' with the feeling that this remark contained in it a profound wisdom. Se quedó dormido murmurando "La cordura no es estadística", con la sensación de que esta observación contenía una profunda sabiduría. Він заснув, пробурмотівши: «Розсудливість — це не статистика», з відчуттям, що це зауваження містить у собі глибоку мудрість.