Utopias and Dystopias

A utopia is a fictive ideal society based around notions of equality, social harmony, economic prosperity, and political stability. 

The word came from novel by Thomas More about a completely planned community based upon controlling individual impulses that could be destructive to the public good. In a utopia there is no private property, and everyone wears the same clothes, so there’s no envy of wealth or social status, no poverty, hunger, violence, no bars or hiding places. 

There is always a concept of slave labor in a utopia.

The word comes from two Greek words that mean "no place." When pronounced in Latin it means "good place." 

A utopia is an ideal place we can create, that does not yet exist. 

Utopias often include the following elements:

• Information, independent thought, and freedom are promoted (at least in theory.) There is still a level of conformity however (such as everyone wearing the same clothing).

• A figurehead or concept brings the citizens of the society together, but not treated as singular.

• Citizens have no fear of the outside world.

• Citizens live in a harmonious state.

• The natural world is embraced and revered.

• Citizens embrace social and moral ideals. Individuality and innovation are welcomed.

• The society evolves with change to make a perfect utopian world.

Types of Utopian Ideas

Most utopian works present a world in which societal ideals and the common good of society are maintained through one or more of the following types of beliefs:

• Economic ideas: Money is abolished. Citizens only do work that they enjoy.

• Governing ideas: Society is controlled by citizenry in a largely individualist, communal, social and sometimes libertarian “government”. The term government is used loosely, as power is seen to corrupt, so constructed government systems are warned against.

• Technological ideas: In some cases, technology may be embraced to enhance the human

living experience and make human life easier and more convenient. Other ideas propose that technology drives a wedge between humanity and nature, therefore becoming an evil to society.

Ecological ideas: Back to the nature, humans live harmoniously with nature and reverse the

effects of industrialization.

• Philosophical/religious ideas: Society believes in a common religious philosophy, some fashion their surroundings around the biblical Garden of Eden. In inter-religious utopias, all ideas of God are welcomed. In intra-religious utopias, a singular idea of God is accepted and practiced by all. 

A dystopia is a society that is incredibly imperfect, with extremes of wealth and poverty, and lacking the harmonious and egalitarian qualities of utopias. It is often a hyperbolic (exaggerated), worse case scenario version of certain aspects of the real world that the author lives in. 

John Stuart Mill in 1868 coined the term.

As a genre of fiction, dystopian literature took off in the 20th century and after WW II. It is also probably more popular as a genre of literature because there is not a lot of conflict in a utopia, whereas there is plenty of conflict in a dystopia.

The genre took off in the 20^th century partly due to the rise of totalitarian states on the right and left – Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.

Dystopias are not the opposites of utopias, as they often contain the same elements of utopias in certain respects (intense measure of social control, the state claiming to be benevolent).  One way to look at them is as corrupted utopias.

Dystopias often include the following elements:

• Propaganda is used to control the citizens of society.

• Information, independent thought, and freedom are restricted.

• A figurehead or concept is worshipped by the citizens of the society.

• Citizens are perceived to be under constant surveillance.

• Citizens have a fear of the outside world.

• Citizens live in a dehumanized state.

• The natural world is banished and distrusted. 

• Citizens conform to uniform expectations. Individuality and dissent are bad.

• The society is an illusion of a perfect utopian world, presents itself as utopian.

Types of Dystopian Controls

Most dystopian works present a world in which oppressive societal control and the illusion of a perfect society are maintained through one or more of the following types of controls:

• Corporate control: One or more large corporations control society through products, advertising, and/or the media.

• Bureaucratic control: Society is controlled by a mindless bureaucracy through a tangle of red tape, relentless regulations, and incompetent government officials.

• Technological control: Society is controlled by technology—through computers, robots, and/or scientific means.

• Philosophical/religious control: Society is controlled by philosophical or religious ideology often enforced through a dictatorship or theocratic government.