1984

           AtalltimesthePartyisinpossessionofabsolutetruth,andclearlytheabsolutecanneverhavebeendifferentfromwhatitisnow. Itwillbeseenthatthecontrolofthepastdependsaboveallonthetrainingofmemory. Tomakesurethatallwrittenrecordsagreewiththeorthodoxyofthemomentismerelyamechanicalact. ButitisalsonecessarytoREMEMBERthateventshappenedinthedesiredmanner. Andifitisnecessarytorearrangeone’smemoriesortotamperwithwrittenrecords,thenitisnecessarytoFORGETthatonehasdoneso. Thetrickofdoingthiscanbelearnedlikeanyothermentaltechnique. ItislearnedbythemajorityofPartymembers,andcertainlybyallwhoareintelligentaswellasorthodox. InOldspeakitiscalled,quitefrankly,‘realitycontrol’. InNewspeakitiscalledDOUBLETHINK,thoughDOUBLETHINKcomprisesmuchelseaswell. 

           DOUBLETHINKmeansthepowerofholdingtwocontradictorybeliefsinone’smindsimultaneously,andacceptingbothofthem. ThePartyintellectualknowsinwhichdirectionhismemoriesmustbealtered; hethereforeknowsthatheisplayingtrickswithreality; butbytheexerciseofDOUBLETHINKhealsosatisfieshimselfthatrealityisnotviolated. Theprocesshastobeconscious,oritwouldnotbecarriedoutwithsufficientprecision,butitalsohastobeunconscious,oritwouldbringwithitafeelingoffalsityandhenceofguilt. DOUBLETHINKliesattheveryheartofIngsoc,sincetheessentialactofthePartyistouseconsciousdeceptionwhileretainingthefirmnessofpurposethatgoeswithcompletehonesty. Totelldeliberatelieswhilegenuinelybelievinginthem,toforgetanyfactthathasbecomeinconvenient,andthen,whenitbecomesnecessaryagain,todrawitbackfromoblivionforjustsolongasitisneeded,todenytheexistenceofobjectiverealityandallthewhiletotakeaccountoftherealitywhichonedenies—allthisisindispensablynecessary.