* To maintain social harmony and stability: The government believed that books, with their diverse and often conflicting ideas, caused dissent and unrest among the population. They wanted a society where everyone was happy and compliant, and books were seen as a threat to that.
* To promote consumerism and shallow entertainment: The ruling elite saw books as a waste of time and resources, and they wanted people focused on consuming and enjoying fleeting, superficial forms of entertainment like television.
* To control information and thought: The government feared the power of books to challenge authority and spark independent thought. By banning books, they could control what people knew and how they perceived the world.
* To eliminate "unnecessary" complexity: The society in the novel values simplicity and immediate gratification. Books were seen as complicated and requiring effort to understand, which went against this cultural ideal.
It's important to note that the ban wasn't necessarily a sudden event, but a gradual process. Initially, books were censored and burned, and slowly, the culture shifted to one that saw books as irrelevant and dangerous.