Considering Utopia

“I abhor the idea of a perfect world. It would bore me to tears,” said Shelby Foote. Some of us might think that way.

Leibniz, a great philosopher, made the argument that this world is the best of all possible worlds. That thought discourages some of us.

On the other hand, some of us like to let our minds wander.

“It sure would be nice” … You can fill in the rest. Most of us can daydream a bit about how the world, or at least our part of the world, would be better if certain things fell into place. If you get into dreaming big, we call it “Utopia.” Such a vision might inspire us to act.

According to Google, there are only seven communities worldwide named "Utopia," and six of them are in the United States. Actually, though, that statement is misleading. The Utopia in Kansas is now a ghost town, and larger communities with other names have subsumed the ones in Florida, New York and Illinois. A few people live in what was Utopia, Ohio, but the community by that name is now a historical memory. Utopia, Texas, is still there, although with a population of less than 250. The one not in the United States is in New South Wales, Australia, and it seems to be little more than a spot on the map.

It is perhaps significant that no utopias have really thrived. Sir Thomas More coined the word “utopia” in 1516. He used it as the name of a fictional island society in a novel he published with a long Latin title that translates On the Best State of a Republic and on the New Island of Utopia. His book depicted a communal society where the citizens shared everything in a way that everyone benefitted. To name the island, More combined two Greek words, topos, which means "place" or "where," and u or ou, which means "no" or "not," giving a literal meaning of "nowhere" or "not-place."

His book was a sly criticism of the European society of his day. Among More's targets were the abuse of the royal prerogative and land enclosure practices that worked against the common good, both of which were major societal problems in 16th-century England. In More's book, they were in contrast to the uncomplicated society of the Utopians. They worked six hours a day, beginning the day with three hours of lectures. He envisioned no private property. Leaders commit themselves to peace rather than war. The people do not focus on things like jewels and wealth. There were no lawyers. Religions respected their differences while recognizing what united them.

Today, in keeping with More's original meaning, utopia denotes an imagined place or state of things in which everything is perfect. In fact, synonyms for utopia include "paradise," "Shangri-La," "nirvana" and "heaven on earth." Most of us would conclude that such a place or society is not achievable among humankind. The etymology of the word -- literally meaning "nowhere" or "not-place" -- tells the whole story. As one person put it, utopia "is nice to think about, but on this earth, you're not going to find it -- because wherever and whenever a human being enters a paradise, paradise is lost." Or, as someone else has said, "Abandon all hope of utopia -- there are people involved."

Nevertheless, in the decades preceding the Civil War, a certain idealism among some people led to the founding of communities called Utopia because the founders were intent on trying to create societies as close to perfect as they could. For example, the followers of French philosopher Charles Fourier in 1844 established Ohio's Utopia. He called for "intentional communities" based on equal sharing of resources and labor. The people who came to that Utopia were spiritualists who wanted a secluded area to practice their religion. The town was on the banks of the Ohio River, and unfortunately, many of its settlers died in a flash flood in 1847. Most of the survivors moved away. There are people living in the area today, but they are not communalists and the town, as such, is relegated to a roadside marker placed by the Ohio Historical Society. After telling of the flood and the deaths, the marker includes this sentence: "Thus, the idea of the perfect society, or utopia, died."

My point here, though, is that such a dream of a better place, even a perfect place, can inspire people to change their lives in accord with that vision. One writer put it this way.  

Utopia is on the horizon. I move two steps closer; it moves two steps further away. I walk another 10 steps and the horizon runs 10 steps further away. As much as I may walk, I'll never reach it.

 So what's the point of utopia?

 The point is this: to keep walking.

 --Eduardo Galeano.