Utopia - Definition And History Of The
Term
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.
The word first occurred in Sir Thomas More´s Utopia, published in Latin as
Libellus…de optimo reipublicae statu, deque nova insula Utopia ("Concerning
the highest state of the republic and the new island Utopia"; 1516); 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 traveller, 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.
Written utopias may be practical or satirical, as well as speculative.
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 Sacred History
of Euhemerus (flourished 300 BC), and Plutarch´s 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 Sir
Thomas More 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 (written c. 1602)
of Tomaso Campanella (q.v.). Francis Bacon´s New Atlantis (published 1627)
was practical in its scientificprogram but speculative concerning philosophy
and religion. Christian utopian commonwealths were described in Antangil
(1616) by "I.D.M.", Christianopolis (1619) by Johann Valentin Andrae, 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.
In France such works as Gabriel de Foigny´s Terre australe conue (1676)
preached liberty. Francois 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`
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 (q.v.) and
Freiland (1890; A Visit to Freeland…, 1894) by Theodor Herzka. H.G. Wells,
in A Modern Utopia (1905), returned to speculation.
Many utopias are satires that ridicule existent conditions rather than
offering practical solutions for them. In this class are Swift´s Gulliver´s
Travels (1726) and Samuel Butler´s Erewhon (1872). In the 20th century, when
the possibility of a planned society became too imminent, a number of
bitterly anti-utopian, or dystopian, novels appeared. Among these are The
Iron Heel (1907)by Jack London, My (1924; We, 1925) by Yevgeny Zamyatin,
Brave New World (1932) by Aldous Huxley, and Nineteen Eighty-four (1949) by
George Orwell. The Story of Utopias (1922) by Lewis Mumford is an excellent
survey.
[…the rest of the text describes the attempts of religious groups and
political reformers to establish utopian communities…]
quoted from: "The New Encyclopaedia Britannica", Volume 12, 15th Edition,
Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc.
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