- Key People:
- Thomas More
utopia
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What is a utopia?
A utopia is an imagined community or state where everything is ideal. The word, coined by Sir Thomas More in his 1516 book Utopia, is a play on Greek words, meaning both "good place" (eutopia) and "no place" (outopia).
Utopias are often portrayed as remote islands or imaginary lands with perfect social, political, and economic conditions. They can be speculative, practical, or satirical, serving as thought experiments or social commentary. Although the idea of a utopia is "impossibly idealistic," dreaming of a utopia is something many people do.
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Why do people imagine ideal communities called utopias?
People imagine ideal communities, or utopias, because they represent visionary reform and the possibility of creating seemingly perfect conditions. Utopias are often conceived by political thinkers and those who feel they have little practical recourse within existing power structures. These imagined societies can serve as thought experiments that reveal hidden discontents, potentially striking a chord with a broad audience.
These concepts date back to Plato's Republic and are used to explore better ways of living, social and economic reform, and notions of individual and collective perfection. Utopianism has been a recurring theme throughout history, with various communities and literary works dedicated to its pursuit.
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Who first used the word 'utopia', and what did it mean?
Thomas More first used the word "utopia" in his 1516 book, Utopia. He combined the Greek words ou ("not, no") and topos ("place") to create the name of his imaginary island. More's Utopia described an ideal society with perfect social, legal, and governmental conditions. He wanted to imply that the perfect conditions on his fictional island could never really exist. The earliest generic use of utopia was for an imaginary and indefinitely remote place. The current use of utopia, referring to an ideal place or society, was inspired by More’s description of Utopia’s perfection.
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What are some common features of utopian societies?
Utopian societies, striving for seemingly perfect conditions, often share features like communal living and innovative social structures. Many, especially in 19th-century America, were inspired by religious ideals, such as the Shakers with their celibate communities, or the Oneida Community's radical approach to relationships.
Secular utopias focused on social and economic reforms, like Robert Owen's New Harmony, which aimed for a cooperative, self-sufficient community with shared property. These communities frequently prioritize equality, science, and an understanding of history to create a better society, but their idealistic nature can make them unsustainable.
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How do writers describe problems with creating or keeping a utopia?
Writers often explore the difficulties in creating or maintaining a utopia. Utopian fiction commonly lacks dramatic conflict because a perfect society is inherently uneventful.
Some writers use satire to mock existing conditions rather than offer practical solutions. They may portray societies with a "phony benevolence," where individuals undergo a conversion to the utopian mindset, which stifles action and individuality.
Technocratic utopias face the challenge of perpetual improvement: it's difficult to depict progress in a world where further progress is impossible. Dystopian novels highlight the dangers of strict conformity, toxic cultural practices, and the suppression of the human spirit. Some writers, like H.G. Wells, have even prophesied extinction for humanity, believing we lack the flexibility to control our affairs.
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How have ideas of utopia influenced real communities or movements in history?
Utopian ideals have significantly influenced the formation of real-world communities and movements throughout history. In the 19th century, the United States experienced a surge in utopianism, with religious groups like the Shakers establishing communal settlements that left a mark on American life through their architecture and handicrafts.
Secular utopias, such as New Harmony and Brook Farm, were dedicated to social and economic reform, attracting intellectuals and reformers despite their financial instability. These communities, driven by visions of a better way of living, reflect the enduring human impulse to create ideal societies.
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utopia, an ideal commonwealth whose inhabitants exist under seemingly perfect conditions. Hence utopian and utopianism are words used to denote visionary reform that tends to be impossibly idealistic.
Literary utopias
More’s Utopia
The word first occurred in Sir Thomas More’s Utopia, published in Latin as Libellus…de optimo reipublicae statu, deque nova insula Utopia (1516; “Concerning the highest state of the republic and the new island Utopia”); it was compounded by More from the Greek words for “not” (ou) and “place” (topos) and thus meant “nowhere.” During his embassy to Flanders in 1515, More wrote Book II of Utopia, describing a pagan and communist city-state in which the institutions and policies were entirely governed by reason. The order and dignity of such a state was intended to provide a notable contrast with the unreasonable polity of Christian Europe, divided by self-interest and greed for power and riches, which More then described in Book I, written in England in 1516. The description of Utopia is put in the mouth of a mysterious traveler, Raphael Hythloday, in support of his argument that communism is the only cure against egoism in private and public life. More, in the dialogue, speaks in favour of mitigation of evil rather than cure, human nature being fallible. The reader is thus left guessing as to which parts of the brilliant jeu d’esprit are seriously intended and which are mere paradox.
Speculative and practical utopias
Written utopias may be speculative, practical, or satirical. Utopias are far older than their name. Plato’s Republic was the model of many, from More to H.G. Wells. A utopian island occurs in the Hiera anagraphe (“Sacred Inscription”) of Euhemerus (flourished c. 300 bce), and Plutarch (46–after 119 ce), in his life of Lycurgus, describes a utopian Sparta. The legend of Atlantis inspired many utopian myths, but explorations in the 15th century permitted more realistic settings, and More himself associated Utopia with Amerigo Vespucci. Other utopias that were similar to More’s in humanist themes were the I mondi (1552) of Antonio Francesco Doni and La città felice (1553) of Francesco Patrizi. An early practical utopia was the comprehensive La città del sole (c. 1602; “The City of the Sun”) of Tommaso Campanella. Francis Bacon’s New Atlantis (1627) was practical in its scientific program but speculative concerning philosophy and religion. Christian utopian commonwealths were described in Antangil (1616) by “I.D.M.,” Christianopolis (1619) by Johann Valentin Andreae, and Novae Solymae libri sex (1648) by Samuel Gott. Puritanism produced many literary utopias, both religious and secular, notably The Law of Freedom… (1652), in which Gerrard Winstanley advocated the principles of the Diggers. The Common-Wealth of Oceana (1656) by James Harrington argued for the distribution of land as the condition of popular independence.
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In France such works as Gabriel de Foigny’s Terre australe connue (1676) preached liberty. François Fénelon’s Télémaque (1699) contained utopian episodes extolling the simple life. L’An 2440 by Louis-Sébastien Mercier (1770; Eng. trans., 1772) anticipated Revolutionary doctrines. G.A. Ellis’s New Britain (1820) and Étienne Cabet’s Voyage en Icarie (1840) were related to experimental communities in the United States that revealed the limitations of purely economic planning. Consequently, Bulwer-Lytton, in The Coming Race (1871), invented an essence that eliminated economics altogether, and William Morris demonstrated his contempt for economics in News from Nowhere (1890). Two influential utopias, however, had an economic basis: Looking Backward, 2000–1887 (1888) by Edward Bellamy and Freiland (1890; A Visit to Freeland…) by Theodor Herzka. H.G. Wells, in A Modern Utopia (1905), returned to speculation.