1984

           Warprisonersapart,theaveragecitizenofOceanianeversetseyesonacitizenofeitherEurasiaorEastasia,andheisforbiddentheknowledgeofforeignlanguages. Ifhewereallowedcontactwithforeignershewoulddiscoverthattheyarecreaturessimilartohimselfandthatmostofwhathehasbeentoldaboutthemislies. Thesealedworldinwhichheliveswouldbebroken,andthefear,hatred,andself-righteousnessonwhichhismoraledependsmightevaporate. ItisthereforerealizedonallsidesthathoweveroftenPersia,orEgypt,orJava,orCeylonmaychangehands,themainfrontiersmustneverbecrossedbyanythingexceptbombs. 

           Underthisliesafactnevermentionedaloud,buttacitlyunderstoodandactedupon: namely,thattheconditionsoflifeinallthreesuper-statesareverymuchthesame. InOceaniatheprevailingphilosophyiscalledIngsoc,inEurasiaitiscalledNeo-Bolshevism,andinEastasiaitiscalledbyaChinesenameusuallytranslatedasDeath-Worship,butperhapsbetterrenderedasObliterationoftheSelf. ThecitizenofOceaniaisnotallowedtoknowanythingofthetenetsoftheothertwophilosophies,butheistaughttoexecratethemasbarbarousoutragesuponmoralityandcommonsense. Actuallythethreephilosophiesarebarelydistinguishable,andthesocialsystemswhichtheysupportarenotdistinguishableatall. Everywherethereisthesamepyramidalstructure,thesameworshipofsemi-divineleader,thesameeconomyexistingbyandforcontinuouswarfare. Itfollowsthatthethreesuper-statesnotonlycannotconqueroneanother,butwouldgainnoadvantagebydoingso. Onthecontrary,solongastheyremaininconflicttheyproponeanotherup,likethreesheavesofcorn. And,asusual,therulinggroupsofallthreepowersaresimultaneouslyawareandunawareofwhattheyaredoing.