Would you feel better if there were no wars, diseases, financial difficulties, and you had enough free time to play sports, art or relax on an idyllic sandy beach?
What is utopia?
Utopia in Literature
This concept has existed in literature since the 4th century BC, in the works of the Greek mythographer Euhemerus. In their research, the writers traveled to mysterious foreign lands. Decorations for utopian themes have become more realistic.
More’s work influenced many writers to follow both utopian and dystopian genres. In 1552 Antonio Francesco Doni published I Mondi and in 1553 Francesco Patrici published La Citt felice. Both works reflected More’s vision of a model society. Francis Bacon published his book The New Atlantis in 1627, approaching the concept of utopia more scientifically, without using abstract opinion in relation to religion and philosophy.
In 1888, the utopian book “Looking Back, 2000-1887” was published, which examined this concept from an economic point of view. The author of the work, Edward Bellamy, takes his protagonist from the war-ravaged 19th century to the serene, utopian 21st century. The well-known science fiction story influenced the Marxist movement and the intellectual community of the time. Bellamy was dissatisfied with the injustice of the socio-economic system and, like other utopian writers, put forward the concept of an ideal world.
George Orwell’s book 1984, published in 1949, contains a dystopian commentary recalling the devastation caused by World War II. The novel describes a terrible totalitarian state, where society is certainly far from ideal.
Types of utopian societies
The golden age of Greek mythology was perhaps the earliest example of a utopian society. Hesiod, the Greek poet, believed that there were four stages of existence before him, the oldest of which is the Golden Age. At this time, prosperity and peace reigned, there was no shortage of food. People were happy and lived together. Society has postulated many types of ideal societies, often influenced by decadence.
In religion
The concept of utopia in the famous world religions is perhaps synonymous with the Garden of Eden, Shambhala, Nirvana, the Champs Elysees, the afterlife, the enlightened state of mind. Smaller religious groups were created that wanted to mimic a utopian society or, in their view, a semblance of an afterlife. Especially in the early 1800s, many people wanted to live in a society ruled solely by religion.
The Shakers were an example of such a group. They believed in gender equality, celibacy, and pacifism, and were notable for a particularly vehement style of worship. The Aman colonies were another utopian community founded in the 18th and 19th centuries. They lived a communal life, divided property and discouraged marriage and childbearing.
They held worship services 11 times a week, while not recognizing the singing of hymns or the inclusion of music. Oneida was founded in 1848 by John Humphrey Noyes. The utopian society believed in complex marriages, where all husbands and wives were collective property! Another curious custom practiced by the group was the criticism sessions, which were chaired by committees and used to denounce any offenders in the community.
In politics and economics
The political utopia provided for the needs of the government at the expense of individualism. The American founders were influenced by the concept of a utopian society through the work of the English philosopher James Harrington.
The three colonies originally founded by Great Britain in the 1700s – Georgia, Pennsylvania and the Carolinas – were based on the principle of socio-economic utopianism. According to scholars, in the early 19th century, socialism and economic utopia were often seen as synonymous. In this vision of an ideal society, the money system was to be abolished. Citizens were to have time to enjoy the leisure of their choice.
Technology
In science fiction, a utopian state must occur in the near or distant future. With the development of science and technology, as well as medicine, people’s life expectancy will increase. Technological or science fiction utopias even postulate the concept of a human body that lives forever. Other bodily functions will supposedly be replaced by technology through reproduction and food intake.
Techno-utopianism is the concept of the natural progress of science and technology to a utopian state. However, many of the theory’s claims (eg, that technology brings out the best in people, improves interpersonal communication and relationships, and increases human efficiency) are disputed.
In feminism
Utopia was also considered from a feminist point of view. In the 1970s, the concept of separate societies was prevalent among radical feminists, to the point where certain groups encouraged women to move to farms and live celibate or lesbian lifestyles! Fiction writers have postulated same-sex marriage, the replacement of conventional childbearing with an artificial system, and gender equality.
