Cafe Inquiry

This month's discussion topic: personal utopia

Utopia typically describes an imaginary community or society that is perfect. In a utopia, all needs are met and there remains no conflict over resources or society. Utopias may focus on things like government, social structures, economics, and justice. Regardless of how it is described, utopias are envisioned by the author as a place that is perfect (or at the least substantially better than the present). Since it was initially coined by Thomas More, the term utopia has been used to imagine a wide variety of social structures, political outcomes, and futures.

One conception of utopia may imagine a post-scarcity society, where there are no physical resource shortages or limitations. These utopias are often technologically focused, with the technology solving many of the resource shortages that have plagued earlier societies. In Star Trek, for instance, all physical needs are resolvable using technologies like the replicator for food and clothing. In these conceptions, the utopia arises because there are no unmet physical needs, and therefore no need to fight conflicts over resources, food, or shelter.

Another conception of a utopia may go backwards, with the past envisioned in more idyllic terms. Arguably, myths such as the Garden of Eden envision a more primal setting where there are no social conflicts and where basic needs are more easily met from the more primitive environments. In this conception, it is society and technology that have gradually removed residents from more egalitarian and environmentally sustainable practicies.

Finally, utopias may be envisioned in terms of social or governmental processes. A utopia, in this conception, could be organized around socialist or communal participation. Communes in America, for instance, have frequently imbibed utopian ideals regarding the structure of social relationships and community goods. Here, a utopia is defined by how well the hypothetical society manages to encourage good relationships between the individuals within that society.

What makes a utopia for you? Is it defined by the fulfillment of physical needs like shelter and food? Is it defined more by social relationships and ties? Or is a utopia something that is defined by a hypothetical past where communities were smaller, environmental issues less pressing, and direct problems within the community easier to address and resolve? How can we most closely achieve a society that mirrors what we wish to see in a utopia?