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In 1516, More published a work of fiction and socio-political satire written in Latin called 'Utopia.'
'Utopia' depicts a fictional island state and its religious, social, and political customs—an ideal commonwealth where reason rules.
More derived the word "Utopia" from the Greek ou-, meaning "not", and topos, meaning "place." The name literally means "nowhere."
Utopia is placed in the New World. The people in this imaginary land share a common culture and way of life.
According to More, utopian society is based on rational thought, communal property, productivity, no class distinctions or poverty, little crime or immoral behavior, religious freedom, and little violence. In fact, many aspects of his description of utopia are reminiscent of life in a monastery.
We can thank English lawyer, politician, and writer Thomas More (1478–1535) for dreaming up the concept of utopia.
More's work was generally well received, if somewhat misunderstood. But reading between the lines, he was in fact denouncing material wealth and advocating a form of communism.
More's fantasy can be seen as combining two aspects of a utopian society, that of a high-minded, rather puritanical environment, but one that is inhabited by an affable and laid-back populace agreeably disinclined to do much work.
So, what is a perfect society, and what's the best kind of utopianism? In other words, how has history defined utopia?
Utopias are far older than their name. Plato mulls over his ideal society in 'Republic.' Authored by the ancient Greek philosopher in 375 BCE, 'Republic' describes the order and character of a just city-state.
In 'Lycurgus,' the Greek philosopher Plutarch describes a utopian Sparta, Lycurgus being the legendary lawgiver who established Sparta's eunomia, or "good order."
Atlantis, the fictional island first mentioned in Plato's works, has inspired many utopian myths. Thomas More himself drew on the legend of Atlantis as inspiration for 'Utopia.'
Italian philosopher and theologian Tommaso Campanella describes a utopia in 'The City of the Sun' as an egalitarian theocratic society where property is held in common.
In England, Sir Francis Bacon's incomplete utopian novel 'New Atlantis' portrays a vision of the future of human discovery and knowledge in a mythical land where "generosity and enlightenment, dignity and splendor, piety and public spirit" are the commonly held qualities of its inhabitants.
In 'Voyage en Icarie,' French philosopher Étienne Cabet describes a communist utopia. The influential novel, published in 1840, was based on the author's founding of experimental communities in the United States, where he led the Icarians, a French utopian movement.
And the idea of a perfect society persisted into the 20th century. Author H. G. Wells, whose notable works include 'The War of the Worlds' (1898), talked about free will, personal freedoms, and a migratory nature of people in his 1905 novel 'A Modern Utopia.'
Irish poet and playwright Oscar Wilde once said, "A map of the world that does not include Utopia is not worth even glancing at ... Progress is the realization of Utopias."
The mythical Garden of Eden has sometimes been described as an ideal, utopian place, with Adam and Eve enjoying a life in paradise.
Robert Owen had emigrated to America in 1842 and plied most of his fortune into establishing an experimental socialistic community at New Harmony, Indiana, as a preliminary for his utopian society. It failed less than two years later.
It was the belief that social disruption was created and caused by the development of commercialism and capitalism that prompted Welsh textile manufacturer and social reformer Robert Owen to cofound the utopian socialism movement with Étienne Cabet and others in the early 19th century.
In his 1933 novel 'Lost Horizon,' author and screenwriter James Hilton wrote about a place called Shangri-La, a mystical, harmonious valley hidden away in the Himalayan Mountains. Shangri-La has since become synonymous with a mythical utopia, a happy land isolated from the rest of the world.
In 1841 the Oneida Community was established in Putney, Vermont, by John Humphrey Noyes and his followers. It relocated to Oneida, New York, in 1848. The group practiced communalism (in the sense of communal property and possessions) and espoused polygamy. After the American Civil War the enthusiasm for secular utopian experiments in the United States waned.
In the 1960s, the idea of living in a commune, or intentional community, appealed to many who perhaps felt marginalized by mainstream society and were seeking their own version of utopia. Members of a commune typically hold a common social, political, religious, or spiritual vision, and share responsibilities and property.
A year earlier, in 1841, transcendentalist George Ripley and his wife Sophia founded Brook Farm, a utopian experiment in communal living located in West Roxbury, Massachusetts. This too was a short-lived affair, the community never financially stable or profitable. It closed in 1847.
The 1970s saw the emergence of the term "ecotopia" after the publication in 1975 of Ernest Callenbach's groundbreaking novel 'Ecotopia: The Notebooks and Reports of William Weston.' Ecological utopian society describes new ways in which society should relate to nature and advocates a society that is more sustainable, a message that is particularly relevant today.
The original 'Star Trek' television series of the 1960s was set in a future where Earth is crime-free, all known diseases have been cured, and other social ills such as poverty and slavery have been eradicated. The Enterprise space ship operated under the auspices of the United Federation of Planets, an egalitarian democracy where all member races enjoy extensive rights and freedoms.
In 'Demolition Man,' San Angeles functions as a mega-city free of violence, crime, and drug use. Even uttering an expletive can incur a fine.
Utopian society has featured widely in film. In 'Metropolis' (1927), Fritz Lang's masterpiece of silent cinema, a beautiful and cultured utopia exists in a highly stylized futuristic city. But below the surface is a bleak underworld populated by mistreated workers.
In this movie, a disillusioned genius inventor and a teenage science enthusiast journey to an intriguing utopian technological paradise known as Tomorrowland.
Sources: (Britannica) (The Guardian) (BBC)
See also: Insights from the most extensive study on happiness
With a screenplay written by H.G. Wells, 'Things to Come' describes the generational saga of the fictional British city of Everytown and its citizens, who attempt to rebuild their war-torn city and create a new utopian society.
A utopia is an imagined place or state of things in which everything is perfect. The idea of a utopia has intrigued us since antiquity. Ancient Greek philosophers mulled over what exactly a perfect society would look like. Many great authors have placed their novels in a utopian setting, including Thomas More—who actually coined the term in the early 1500s. Cinema as well has produced several excellent movies that deal admirably with the subject. But how has history really defined utopia, and who can we thank for popularizing the description?
Click through and find out what others believe is the true ideal.
How has history defined utopia?
What exactly is a perfect society?
LIFESTYLE Society
A utopia is an imagined place or state of things in which everything is perfect. The idea of a utopia has intrigued us since antiquity. Ancient Greek philosophers mulled over what exactly a perfect society would look like. Many great authors have placed their novels in a utopian setting, including Thomas More—who actually coined the term in the early 1500s. Cinema as well has produced several excellent movies that deal admirably with the subject. But how has history really defined utopia, and who can we thank for popularizing the description?
Click through and find out what others believe is the true ideal.