Swift's satire on Science in Gulliver's

Travels
E97060 Yukiko Kasai

CONTENTS
Introduction

Chapter I

The Background of Science

and its Connection with Swift
Chapter II

The Science in Gulliver's Travels

Chapter III

What Does Swift Insists

in Gulliver's Travels as His Utopia
Conclusion

Works Cited

Introduction
There are many arguments as for how does Jonathan Swift make satire in his masterpiece,
Gulliver's Travels. One argues this narrative as a political satire, another discusses it as a
utopian fable, and yet another tries to demonstrate this work as a science fiction. In this
paper, I would like to deal with Swift's Gulliver's Travels as a satire on "modern science."

Swift's era was the age which saw the change in the meaning of the word, "science," and
Swift himself spent his life in an age of convulsions for "science." In other words, he
participated in the age of "the revolution of science" which is the replacing the authority
from the study of the ancient scholars, such as Aristoteles and Plato, to the work of the
modern scientists, such as Descartes and Newton (H. Carny 226).
The aim of this thesis is to make clear what Swift satirized about "new science" in
Gulliver's Travels and to try to find out his ideal world, Utopia. As I mentioned earlier, the
authority of study was replacing from ancient to modern completely. Batterfield suggests
in his writing:

If the usual science is destroyed to the foundation, what do the leaders of

our generation will do? If the basics like what we learn at a primary school
denies as an old ? fashioned and useless thing, . . . what will happen? (154)

Probably, the answer is "chaos." As we can guess from this assumption, the impact of the
replacing of the study was very strong. Consulting the beginning of the modern science
society would enable us to know the origin of today's social problems concerning science.
So we would deal with Gulliver's Travels as a satire on science. In fact, Douglas Lane
Party says in his thesis that "readers understood that among its targets is what we have
come to call the 'new science'" (216). Moreover, Samuel Holt Monk argues ". . . it is at
once science fiction and a witty parody of science fiction" (312). We can find something
common between these two men, that is, they regard this narrative as a satire especially
aimed at science.

We will chiefly focus on part 3, "Voyage to Laputa." As I said formerly, the discussions on
Gulliver's Travels have many points of argument. Among them, we often see a discussion
about structure of the story as a whole, and it insists that only part 3 is unbalanced and
merely additional to the whole story. However, I would rather like to focus on part 3,
because I guess that Swift expresses his ideas without any care about its structure. As
Monk argues in his thesis, we can believe firmly that part 3, "Voyage to Laputa" is
superior piece of satirical literature.

I will discuss the satire in the work, Gulliver's Travels, in three chapters. In the first
chapter, we will deal with the historical background of science and its connection to Swift.
In the second chapter, we will discuss how Swift dealt with science in his narrative.
Finally we will interpret Swift's ideal society, Utopia. In conclusion, we know that Swift
satirizes the new science and that he shows his ideal world where people can learn through
human knowledge with their prudence.

Chapter I
In this chapter, we would like to make clear the historical background of science on which
Swift satirizes in Gulliver's Travels. In short, we are to make a careful research concerning
under which condition the science stood in his age, and concerning what effects it gave to
Swift himself and his works. First, we would discuss the historical background in those
days, and the changing of traditional science to modern science. Next, we would refer to
the effects which the changing of the concept of science had on Swift and his works.

When we use the word "science," we have to remember that we should take the difference
of the age under consideration as Party insists in his thesis (216). That is, the original use
of the word "science" is different from that of today. According to Oxford English
Dictionary, the word "science" originates from the latin scientia (=knowledge): "In the
Middle Ages, 'seven sciences' was often used synonymously with 'seven liberal arts,' for
the group of studies comprised by the Trivium and the Quadrivium." This definition makes
clear that the traditional concept of the word, "science" is more broad than that of today.
Generally, we call the science which is the original and broad concept "ancient science,"
while we call today's science which has limited meaning, "modern science." As OED
defines, the knowledge which human beings learn through the whole daily life is as well as
today's meaning of "art."

However, the original meaning which "science" had was narrowed and narrowed, and at
last the meaning of "science" became to refer to just limited technical fields. In other
words, the word became to mean only specialized field which the public cannot
understand, in spite that the words originally meant the whole field of human life. This is
because people attempted to rationalize the process to learn knowledge in their life, and
began to confuse the aim of learning.

Putting in other words, those who tried to learn more "science" cut out the annoying and
inefficient method in which they learn knowledge through their life for making science
advance. As a result, they became satisfied with only the experiments of their study and
impractical theory was prompted. According to Carny, "People became to be satisfied with
the filling their intellectual curiosity rather than the utility" (239). He argues in his thesis
that those who admire the modern science are likely to satisfied with the methods for
getting something useful.

There are another fact which shows the close connection between Swift's age and the
science. The Royal Society, which aimed the promotion of natural science in England, was
established in 1660. We can see a material written by Ono and Ogawa which connects the
historical background of Royal Society to Gulliver's Travels, which shows us the scene of
Lagado in "Voyage to Laputa."

It is easy to know that the description of Lagado Academy is the parody of

Royal Society. In spite of their work seems to be very ridiculous for us,
actually all ridiculous experiments were collected from the academic
magazine, 'Philosophical Transactions' (an organ of Royal Society). Those
included some imprudent experiments such as a test to distinguish by the
sense of smell and touch. We can know that Swift made satire on those
reckless experiments. (134)

It is clear that there is the existence of Royal Society in the background of Gulliver's
Travels. At the same time, we can know from this historical fact that people tended to
increase their scientific knowledge in those days, moreover, the word "Royal" makes us
guess that the promotion did not penetrate into the public.

It is clear that there was the change of ancient science to modern science in Swift's era, and
the meaning of the word, "science" became more and more limited. This is because some
people tried to rationalize learning the knowledge, and they tried to cut the process of
gaining a lot of "arts" through their lives. After all, the reduction of the process became
linked with the narrowing of the meaning of "science."
Chapter II
In this chapter, we would like to consider the implication of "science" in Swift's Gulliver's
Travels. Swift satirizes on "new science" chiefly in part 3, "A Voyage to Laputa," and we
can guess three objects that Swift satirizes. One is impractical use of the new science, and
next is the reverse of science, that is, the reversal of the way and the aim of new science.
The third one is the denial of the tradition. It is obvious that Swift tries to attack on
"modern science" on these three aspects by presenting the ridiculous in his work. This
chapter aims to make clear which aspects of science Swift satirizes in Gulliver's Travels.

The first point of satire on science is its impractical use. Gulliver came across an
unexpected and terrible accident and was floated to an uninhabited island. A few days
later, he witnessed a flying island, called "Laputa" over his head. He reached on to the
strange island. The things which Gulliver saw there was an advanced and imbalanced
technology and odd people lacking of humanity. Laputans, those who lived on the flying
island, had advanced technology to fly such a big body, an island. On the island, the ruling
class inhabited such as a King, peer and the controller of the island. If any town
underneath Laputa tries to raise treason, the island put onto the town. However, this
solution is never adopted. The reason is:

. . . why the Kings of this Country have been always averse from executing
so terrible an Action, unless upon the utmost Necessity. For if the Town
intended to be destroyed should have in it any tall Rocks. . . Or if it abound
in high Spheres of Pillars of Stone, a sudden Fall might endanger the
Bottom of under Surface of the Island. (144)

In short, they cannot make the island touch on the ground for they are afraid of breaking
the bottom of the flying body. We can find that the high technology cannot be made useful
to actual society. It is apparent that Swift mentions the impractical use from this part which
expresses such an advanced technology is actually not able to suppress the towns by using
its technology.

Besides this reason, the Laputa island cannot touch the ground of their domain. That is
why people on Laputa is afraid that the bottom of the Laputa might be destroyed if it
touches on the ground. As a matter of fact, the technology would never spread to the lower
society and would never give those who live on the ground affluence, although they have
high technology in the flying island.

Namely, Gulliver describes the condition of the lower society, Balnibarbi, like follows:

The Houses very strangely built, and most of them out of Repair. The
People in the Streets walked fast, looked wild, their Eyes fixed, and were
generally in Rags. . . .I never knew a Soil so unhappily cultivated, Houses
so ill contrived and so ruinous, or a People whose Countenances and Habit
expressed so much Misery and Want. (149)

This quotation shows us that their science cannot be reflected in daily life and does not
always promise an affluent society to human beings.

Similarly we can make the thesis clear by referring to the way of using science of
Laputans. Those who inhabit in Laputa have high technology, and they are eager to learn
only mathematics and music. It is not too much to say that they are not interested in
anything except for mathematics and music. Since their skill is very imbalanced, Laputans
are poor in knowledge about living. It is certain that the technology of Laputan is so
impractical: "Their Houses are very ill built, the Walls bevil, without one right Angle in
any Apartment; and this Defect ariseth from the Contempt they bear for practical
Geometry" (136). We can guess that their technology does not make their life at all from
this description.

From these evidences, we can know one aspect of science which Swift satirizes in
Gulliver's Travels. The first one is impractical technology of science. Gulliver's description
of the relationship between Laputan and science would help us to understand this:

And although they are dextrous enough upon a Piece of Paper, in the
Management of the Rule, the Pencil, and the Divider, yet in the common
Actions and Behaviour of Life, I have not seen a more clumsy, awkward,
and unhandy People, nor so slow and perplexed in their Conceptions upon
all other Subjects, except those of Mahtematicks and Musick. (136)

This description of the Laputans way of use of science supports us to know how their
science is impractical in daily life.

The second point of satire on new science is the reversal of the science. In other words,
Swift satirizes scientists' confusion about their aim. The scholars in Lagado Academy as
well as the modern scientists in Swift's age become to be satisfied only by making
experiments. That is to say, originally an experiment should be merely passing point to the
goal which bears something profitable. However, the scientists who are seen through
Swift's eyes regard the way to study as the whole aim of study. The second aspect of
science which Swift satirizes is this type of confusion.

For example, although the Laputans are "dextrous enough upon a Piece of Paper, in the
Management of the Rule, the Pencil, and the Divider" (136), they cannot make use of the
science for their daily life. Swift also argues their way of life with technology as we can
see as follows: "the common Actions and Behavior of life, I have not seen a more clumsy,
awkward, and unhandy People" (136). However, they are not good at improving their
lives, they are attached only to two studies, mathematics and music. This is the very
suitable part to demonstrate the thesis, the reversal of aim and means. Normally, the
studies such as mathematics should be used as a means to accomplish the whole ultimate
purpose. On the contrary, Laputans are absorbed in the experiments, the means.

There is another example to show that the experiments about which scientists' are crazy is
replaced with their goal. That is, because they go into their work so thoroughly, they lost
sight of original aim of the experiments. On the ground, underneath the Laputa, what
Gulliver sees is the society in confusion. The houses are ill built, and people are wild. The
reason why the city falls into ruin is follows. About forty years ago, some people visited
Laputa, and they try to reconsider their way of life by new ways. For they are influenced
by the Laputans' mathematical knowledge. To practice the innovative plan, they
established the Lagado Academy. The scientists in the organ insists that the quantity of
work in an hour would make rapid progress if the way which they are carrying on the
research used (149-150). However,

. . .the only Inconvenience is, that none of these Projects are yet brought to
Perfection; and in the mean time, the whole Country lies miserably waste,
the Houses in Ruins, and People without Food or Cloaths. (151)

In spite of the fact that their studies do not bring any benefit, they are still absorbed in their
ridiculous work without paying any attention to the miserable condition of the city. This
example shows clearly that they loose their sight of the original purpose of their
experiments. To put it differently, the scientists in Lagado Academy confuse the way of
science, experiments, with the aim of science. Besides, we can guess this case of Lagado is
the parody of the eighteenth century.

Carny's words, "People became to be satisfied with the filling their intellectual curiosity
rather than the utility" (239) indicate exactly the second aspect of science which Swift
attacks. The second point of satire of science is the reverse of the way and the aim, that is,
Swift satirizes scientists' confusion of the experiments with the ultimate purpose of
science. As for this episode too, we can guess that the researches carried on in Academy of
Lagado compares to the modern science which existed in Swift's age.

The third point of satire is the denial of the tradition. The reason why the city Balnibarbi
falls into ruins is they regard their traditional ways as useless and tried to reconsider
everything in an entirely new way. Swift criticizes this attitude of people in Balnibarbi,
and at the same time, he aims at the same attitude of the contemporary scientists.

There is an example which shows that Swift satirizes the attitude tries to deny the
tradition. The city becomes so messy because people have a try to restart everything in a
new way. Generally, people learn various things by doing in a traditional way and finding
a better way to do. On the other hand, those who planned a new scheme for reformation of
the town regard the traditional way as ridiculous and try to carry out everything in "new"
ways. As a result of their negative attitude toward the traditional way inherited from
ancient, they should be thrown into such a miserable condition. This example shows that
being enthusiastic over the new knowledge and denying the traditional way do not always
bring wealth to human beings.

Now we can see this episode from different point of view. Reading this episode as a
metaphor, we can regard the knowledge, which caused the corruption of Balnibarbi, as
modern science. And at the same time, we can guess the traditional knowledge in
Balnibarbi as ancient science. Therefore, we can know Swift's satire on the negative
attitude to the traditional ways of science. That is to say, he attacks the attitude which tries
to deny the traditional way in this work.

Batterfield analyzes the situation in which a "new" science was suddenly brought to
scientific community, to the world of "ancient" science, as follows:

Everything people had believed as fundamental thing threw into a melting

pot and ancient order had collapsed completely, the opposition between
those who tried to believe old order and those who adopted new ways got
more serious. (154)
From this historical fact, Swift had ill feeling toward modern ways, so he tried to satirizes
the "new" science in his age by portraying Balnibarbi so miserable. That is why Balnibarbi
is the city where people adopt new ways. The third aspects of science which Swift satirizes
in Gulliver's Travels is the negative attitude toward traditional ways.

As a consequence, we can find three aspects of science which Swift attacks in "A Voyage
to Laputa." One aspect is the impractical use of the science. He argues that Laputans did
not have any knowledge for their living in spite that they had superior knowledge on
mathematics and music. Swift tries to appeal Laputans' clumsiness which makes their
living so ridiculous. The second aspect is the reversal of aim and means. In other words, he
satirizes scientists' confusion of experiments, as a way to accomplish a purpose, with the
aim, the final goal. The third aspect is the denial of the tradition. He succeeds in satirizing
this aspect by portraying the city, which takes a negative attitude toward tradition, so
ridiculously.

Chapter III
Swift brings us to the world of Gulliver's Travels, which is full of fantasy and adventure.
Traveling with Gulliver through such a world makes it possible to change our view points
to the real society by making natural thing seem very unnatural. Swift criticizes three
points of new science, those are the impractical use, the reversal of end and means, and the
denial of the tradition as we examined in the former chapter. On the other hand, we can
also read in the work that he idealizes the society where people learn wisdom as a human
being through their living. The purpose of this chapter is to examine what Swift insists in
Gulliver's Travels as his utopia. What he thinks important is, according to Party, "prudence
of humanity" (224). Similarly, this is the ideal state of human beings which Swift holds. In
the first part of this chapter, we would like to find out Swift's utopian image in "A Voyage
to Laputa," and next we would interpret his utopia focusing on "A Voyage to the Country
of Houyhnhnms." Finally we would like to make clear Swift's ideal society and idealistic
"science" in such a society.

The first point that requires clarification is Swift's ideal society in "A Voyage to Laputa."
While we can read many satirical factors in this chapter, we can also find some factors
which Swift shows as his ideal society. In this narrative, Swift describes Laputa as a ruined
country. However, he makes a Lord, named Munodi, appear as an only sensible man. He
succeeds on avoiding such a ruined life by imitating traditional way of life (148-49).
Reading as a metaphor, Swift writes this episode as a conflict between modern and
ancient. At the same time, we can realize this is the very parody of the controversy
between modern science and ancient science. By describing the country, which adopts new
ways of living, so messy, he satirizes the new science. On the other hand, he argues his
ideal that people imitate traditional ways and devise the ways through their living.

There is another example which Swift shows his utopia in "A Voyage to Laputa." After
leaving Laputa and Balnibarbi, Gulliver reaches Glubbdubdrib, which is governed by the
"Head of a certain Tribe, who are all Magicians" (165). The governor of the land can call
who has already dead, and command his service. Thanks to the governor, Gulliver can
have a chance to discuss with many prominent persons. In this part, Swift criticizes the
decay of civilization from Gulliver's point of view.
On the other hand, he applauses English Yeomen in this episode. Swift writes them as
follows: "once so famous for the Simplicity of their Manners, Dyet and Dress; For Justice
in their Dealings; for their true Spirit of Liberty ; for their Valour and Love of their
Country" (173). It is clear that Swift's ideal environment is which people would not be
debased by the imprudent ways but keep their virtue brought by their native sense.
Reading this episode in Glubdubbdrib, we can know that Swift attacks modern
civilization, and at the same time, he shows his utopia which people keep their tradition
and seek new better ways in the existing way.

The second point we have to consider is Swift's utopia seen in "A Voyage to the Country of
the Houyhnhnms." As illustration from the story, the forth part of Gulliver's Travels
enables us to know Swift's ideal world. The reason why we can know his utopia through
this part is, that Houyhnhnms means "the Perfection of Nature" (203) as he states in the
part. Moreover, he applauds the Houyhnhnms' way of living again and again through
Gulliver's point of view:

I contracted such a Love and Veneration for the Inhabitants, that I entered
on a firm Resolution never to return to human Kind, but to pass the rest of
my Life among these admirable Houyhnhnms in the Contemplation and
Practice of every Virtue. (224-25)

We can guess easily from these evidences that Swift portrays the Houyhnhnms as his very
ideal way of life. Now we can turn to the matter how Swift shows his utopia among the
Houyhnhnms. We can read that he praises their pragmatism and virtue brought by native
reasons through Gulliver's narration.

The one point which Swift applauses of Houyhnhnms is their pragmatism. Gulliver is
informed by his master that there is no lie in Houyhnhnms. The master explains; "That the
Use of Speech was to make us understand one another, and to receive Information of
Facts; now if any one said the Thing which was not, thses Ends were defeated" (207). This
is just reverse to the satire, that is, the confusion of aims and means which we argued in
the former chapter. We can know that one of Swift's ideals is making sure the essential
qualities and thinking great deal of the actual utility.

Similarly, their subject of speech "are generally . . .upon the visible Operations of Nature,
or ancient Traditions" (242). This sentence makes it clear that they think the things
concerning with their living is the most important. In other words, they focus on gaining
their knowledge useful for their actual life. It is clear that Swift's utopia is a society which
people value prudence as a human from this example.

The other point which Swift stresses about Houyhnhnms is their virtue brought by their
native reasons. They think the "reason" as the most important thing and "neither is Reason
among them a Point problematical as with us, where Men can argue with Plausibility on
both Sides of a Question" (233). And the Houyhnhnms master thinks that nature and
reason are sufficient guides for a reasonable animal (215). This means that living naturally
and with learning everything through their lives is valuable thing because creatures have a
reason to distinguish what is good and bad naturally. In other words, they treasure the
natural humanity in their life. This leads us to the theory that they value "prudence of
humanity," which people gain knowledge through trial and error by judging everything
through their reasons.

The final point to make in this chapter is to pursue Swift's ideal society and idealistic
"science" in such a society through the whole story. Throughout the narrative as a whole,
Lilliput and Laputa, in which they have science and technology, are described as a
dystopia, while Brobdingnag and Huouyhnyms, in which they do not have technology, are
described as a utopia. It is clear from this fact that Swift thinks that science does not
always bring human beings and other creatures an affluent life. The important thing is not
studies through which we can stock only knowledges but rather prudence of humanity, that
is practical wisdom, for human beings (including horses in Houyhnhyms).

For example, the king of Brobdingnag says about whom he thinks as an able person: "That
whoever could make two Ears of Corn, or two Blades of Grass to grow upon a Spot of
Ground where only one grew before; would deserve better of Mankind" (111). He states
that imitating traditional ways and making effort to improve the existing ways is the
human being should be. When we consider this from viewpoint of science, we can know
that Swift values science as a meaning of "ancient science," which has broader sense
likewise "art" of today. Putting it in other words, Swift idealizes that people respect useful
wisdom, like people try to have a good harvest by searching better ways.

As we argued in the first chapter, the concept of the word, "science" was under a radical
change in Swift's era. The "traditional science" which had broader meaning has changed
into the "modern science" which is hard to understand for the public and is far away from
ordinary life. The cause is that people tried to cut the process to learn knowledge and
confuse the way and the aim of the science. It is reasonable that knowledge which is got
through such a crazy experiment cannot be used in actually life. Taking this historical fact
into consideration, it is obvious that Swift attacks such a course of modern science and at
the same time, he demonstrates his picture of utopia. As we examined, his ideal society is a
place where people learn various things through their actual living, that is, where people
value the way of doing things and learning from errors. Similarly, it could be argued that
this is the ideal which science should be exactly.

In this chapter, we dealt with three points. First one is the argument on the ideal society
seen in "A Voyage to Laputa." Second, we examined that seen in "A Voyage to a Country
of Houyhnhnms." Finally, we made clear his utopia and his idealistic "science" in such a
society. We can deduce from these arguments that Swift portrays not his satire but his
utopia in his narrative. Namely, the picture which Swift holds as his utopia is a society
where people learn things through their actual living with their "prudence of humanity."
Swift insists that people should live with prudence because human beings have reason to
distinguish matters. Most important of all, Swift's ideal society is the one in which people
gain their knowledge with prudence of humanity. Moreover, when we consider this as an
aspect of gaining knowledge, we can guess that this is also the idealistic "science" which
he holds.

Conclusion
In the first chapter, we made research on the historical background of science and on what
effect he got by that. We knew that the meaning and concept of the word "science" was
changing. In short, the meaning was narrowed to the level that it cannot be used in actual
living. The word "science" became a very specific word applicable only to a very small
part of scholarly exercises.

In the second chapter, we made closer research on the science in "A Voyage to Laputa." It
became clear that the objects of satire are, the impractical use, the reversal of end and
means, and the denial of the traditional ways. He actually made those three aspects of
science as a point of criticism by exaggerating the three properties of science. We could
know that Swift makes fun of these three aspects of science.

In the third chapter, we tried to clarify what Swift insists through the narrative as his ideal
society. Certainly, he showed his utopia in the third and forth chapter in his narrative.
From verifying his states in this narrative, we can know that his utopia is a society which
people learn things through their actual living. As for science, he values the meaning of
"ancient" science rather than "modern" science because ancient one has broader meaning
and has real relevance to daily life. It is natural that his image of utopia is a society where
people value human wisdom.

Swift's masterpiece is often read as a satire on social ills, and we have been dealing this
novel as a satire on science. The aim of this paper is to pursue on what Swift satirizes
science in his work, and to discuss what his utopia is like. We could know from Gulliver's
Travels that Swift satirizes modern science which appeared in his age, and at the same
time, he shows his utopia where people value prudence as a human being.

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Takayanagi, Yuichi. Tokyo: Heibonsya, 1983.
Monk, Samuel Holt. "The Pride of Lemuel Gulliver."
Gulliver's Travels. Ed. Robert A. Greenberg.
United States: W. W. Norton&Company, inc., 1970.
Ono, Makoto, and Ogawa, Mariko. The World of Science
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Party, Douglas Lane. "Swift's Satire on 'Science' and the
Structure of Gulliver's Travels." Jonathan Swift: A
Collection of Critical Essays. Ed. Rawson, Claude.
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"Science." The Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. Oxford:
Oxford UP, 1992.
Swift, Jonathan. Gulliver's Travels. Ed. Greenberg, Robert
A. 2nd ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1970.

Yukiko Kasai