The Paradoxes of Utopias

The Paradoxes of Utopias

This meetup is going to explore the idea of Utopia. It can be difficult to talk about Utopia and be taken seriously today. The Utopian idea is everywhere in popular culture, but mainly in its Dystopian guise. Factor in the rise and fall of the totalitarian regimes of the twentieth century and the disillusionment with different ideal models of society have led to the rejection of the concept of Utopia in favour of what Karl Popper called ‘intellectual humility’. To explore the concept of Utopia I am going to suggest we show a little ‘intellectual arrogance’ in our discussions, at least initially.

But first a short detour. I want people ahead of time to think about what traits make up a good/fair/just society. If you need inspiration then I’m going to suggest a quick revisit of Rawl’s Theory of Justice which we have previously touched on when exploring the Underdog Bias. Rawl argued we should always orient society to deliver ‘justice as fairness’. This 6 min TED video looks at Rawl’s theory but also offers some critique of political/economic systems such capitalism and Marxism.

Either bring along your thoughts or post comments in the meeting invite ahead of time and I will collate them.

The Philosophers Viewpoint

This 3 min video introduces us to the work of Thomas More and the main ideas in his 1516 book Utopia (property ownership, human happiness, leadership and crime and punishment). In it we see the seeds of numerous problems when it comes to a Utopian society.

This 7 min video starts with Thomas More again and the origin of the word Utopia (which could mean ‘good place’ or ‘no place’) and then goes on to include some of the ideas of Plato (375 BCE) including the idea of the ‘great leader’. Was Plato thinking about a benign dictator or was he really putting philosophers on a very high pedestal?

This video (which I don’t recommend you watch as it’s a bit ponderous) does nonetheless throw up some interesting thoughts that I have turned into questions below.

Q1/ Let’s start with what is a Utopia? Is Utopia a social construct? What about an Eco (Garden of Eden) Utopia? Or a Techno Utopianism where technology solves all our problems?

Q2/ Is it possible for a true Utopia to exist in real life? Are there examples in history that come close?

A utopia is often envisioned as a final destination—a place where all problems are solved. Isn’t this Utopia just a ‘gilded cage – a life without struggle is a life without meaning’?

Q3/ Isn’t life defined by growth, change, and the overcoming of obstacles? A world without conflict or the need for progress could become stagnant and ‘sterile’. Without evil or struggle to contrast it, ‘goodness’ becomes meaningless and boring, leading to a loss of the human spirit?

The Utopian paradox is the philosophical conflict where the pursuit of a perfect, ideal society (Utopia) inherently requires authoritarian control or the elimination of human freedom, ultimately transforming the "good place" into a Dystopian, stagnant, or impossible state. This is the ‘cost of perfection’ – the loss of what makes us human. Perhaps we should succumb to a happy life inside the Matrix?

Q4/ Is it beneficial to dream of a perfect society? Isn't this the way we improve things?

This 6 min video looks at the challenges of building and maintaining a Utopia and what some see as the inevitable slide into Dystopia. It highlights the tension between the individual and society and how this actually played out in the last century where ‘life passes under the watchful eye of the state’ and ‘death comes with ruthless efficiency to any who doesn’t belong’. It also looks at the potential malign impact of new technologies.

Q5/ Even if the slide from Utopia to Dystopia is inevitable is there some value in imagining Utopias but examining the subsequent Dystopias as a cautionary tale?

Q6/ Does the spectrum of different Utopias help us create maps to think about the distant future? Does (science) fiction prepare us to spot Dystopias? (We could digress to talking about (science) fiction examples in literature, film etc. if time permits).

Political Systems and Ideologies

I would suggest the two great failures to produce a Utopian type of society in the last century were Communism (morphing into Stalinist totalitarianism) and fascism (morphing into Nazi totalitarianism). I’ll write off fascism for the moment and look at communism. Karl Marx critiqued capitalism but didn’t create much of a roadmap to a communist/Marxist Utopia. Capitalism, however, flourished, particularly in the US, guided by the principles laid down in the constitution of the US.

Q7/ Is the problem about creating something close to a Utopia that human beings and their society is complex and messy? Is this why Capitalism has been successful?

Hope

Ernst Bloch in his ‘The Principle of Hope’ suggests that a different future is worthwhile and necessary to understand a messy present (he was writing a few years after WW2). He describes hope as an ontological force, that is hope not merely as a subjective emotion or optimistic desire, but as an active, world-creating, and existential necessity that drives the process of becoming. Whilst he was a bit of a Marxist he has a message that we can change the future, the world we live in.

Q8/ Similar to question 3, is Ernst Bloch tapping into something very human?

Back to Rawl via Fukuyama

In 1989, Francis Fukuyama presented his thesis of ‘The End of History’ according to which there will be no need for revolutions, because the Capitalist world will gradually become Liberal and democratic – an idea that was reinforced by the fall of the Berlin wall. For Fukuyama, there was simply no longer any room for a radical future, but only a continuous present.

Note the restriction to the Capitalist world.

Q9/ Is Capitalism the only usable tool with which we could build a sort of Utopia?

Rawl talks about creating a fair society (where fairness has several dimensions). Stretch what he says and he can sound like a left of centre political party in the modern age, Tony Blair circa 1997.

Q10/ Do Rawl’s ideas of fairness prove a useful way of thinking about society?

Q11/ Is Rawl’s difference principal (social and economic inequalities are to be arranged so that they are to the greatest benefit of the least advantaged) problematic?

Religion

Q12/ I have not included anything specifically about religion. Does religion have anything to say on the subject?

(Science) Fiction

A reprise of this in relation to what has been discussed if time permits.