Utopia: Project Summary

Though the word "utopia" was not coined until Thomas More's 1516 writing of an imaginary society by the name, the debate over the "perfect society" has been ongoing since the time of the Ancient Greeks. Plato's The Republic is commonly considered the foremost work in search of the perfect society, almost always based on political structure. Sir Thomas More's naming of the phenomenon, however, went a step further by dubbing it "Utopia," Greek for "no place," a pun on "eutopia," or paradise. The philosophy of utopianism itself has evolved greatly over the years, in accordance with the changing values of the times. Most common in the time of the ancients was the ideal philosopher king, or benevolent dictator; as history continued, the ideals evolved to include more socialist, hierarchal, religious, educational, and democratic based ideals. Thus, the fact that "utopia" truly means "no place" is emphasized in the very philosophy, considering that even if a perfect society was possible, it could never be created or maintained due to our inability to agree upon what would truly be the perfect society. At the same time, some argue that the creation of a utopia is impossible simply because a perfect society would require perfect inhabitants, and mankind is far from perfect. The impossibility of creating the perfect society is also clear in the idea of dystopias, fictional societies often created by disastrous attempts to create (ironically enough) perfect societies. Most notable among dystopias include the likes of Orwell's 1984, Huxley's Brave New World, and Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron. Amidst the debates and cynicism, however, yet arises numerous attempts to put theory to practice, making the philosophy of the fictional "Utopia" play an essential role in the search for an ideal form of government. Among real political structures based on a utopian ideal are particularly socialism and communism, theocracy, and, most recently, democracy. In the sense of a democratic utopia particularly, America as the New World symbolized to many the chance for a new attempt towards the perfect society in which all could prosper. Some have gone so far as to truly attempt to put their utopic ideas into actions, notably including Plato's attempts in Syracuse in the 300s B.C.E. and the Calvinist city of Geneva in the 16th century. Though real-life attempts ultimately failed, the search for a perfect society remains a strong hope even in today's world and undoubtedly has a great effect on the development of political philosophy and theory, not the least of which is democracy as we know it today.