1984

           Inhiscapacityasanadministrator,itisoftennecessaryforamemberoftheInnerPartytoknowthatthisorthatitemofwarnewsisuntruthful,andhemayoftenbeawarethattheentirewarisspuriousandiseithernothappeningorisbeingwagedforpurposesquiteotherthanthedeclaredones: butsuchknowledgeiseasilyneutralizedbythetechniqueofDOUBLETHINK. MeanwhilenoInnerPartymemberwaversforaninstantinhismysticalbeliefthatthewarisreal,andthatitisboundtoendvictoriously,withOceaniatheundisputedmasteroftheentireworld. 

           AllmembersoftheInnerPartybelieveinthiscomingconquestasanarticleoffaith. Itistobeachievedeitherbygraduallyacquiringmoreandmoreterritoryandsobuildingupanoverwhelmingpreponderanceofpower,orbythediscoveryofsomenewandunanswerableweapon. Thesearchfornewweaponscontinuesunceasingly,andisoneoftheveryfewremainingactivitiesinwhichtheinventiveorspeculativetypeofmindcanfindanyoutlet. InOceaniaatthepresentday,Science,intheoldsense,hasalmostceasedtoexist. InNewspeakthereisnowordfor‘Science’. Theempiricalmethodofthought,onwhichallthescientificachievementsofthepastwerefounded,isopposedtothemostfundamentalprinciplesofIngsoc. Andeventechnologicalprogressonlyhappenswhenitsproductscaninsomewaybeusedforthediminutionofhumanliberty. Inalltheusefulartstheworldiseitherstandingstillorgoingbackwards. Thefieldsarecultivatedwithhorse-ploughswhilebooksarewrittenbymachinery. Butinmattersofvitalimportance—meaning,ineffect,warandpoliceespionage—theempiricalapproachisstillencouraged,oratleasttolerated. ThetwoaimsofthePartyaretoconquerthewholesurfaceoftheearthandtoextinguishonceandforallthepossibilityofindependentthought.