Utopia

A utopia (/juːˈtoʊpiə/ yoo-TOH-pee-ə) typically describes an imagined community or society that possesses highly desirable or near-perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book Utopia, which describes a fictional island society in the New World.^[1]

Hypothetical utopias focus on, among other things, equality in categories such as economics, government and justice, with the method and structure of proposed implementation varying according to ideology.^[2] Lyman Tower Sargent argues that the nature of a utopia is inherently contradictory because societies are not homogeneous and have desires which conflict and therefore cannot simultaneously be satisfied. To quote:

There are socialist, capitalist, monarchical, democratic, anarchist, ecological, feminist, patriarchal, egalitarian, hierarchical, racist, left-wing, right-wing, reformist, free love, nuclear family, extended family, gay, lesbian and many more utopias [ Naturism, Nude Christians, ...] Utopianism, some argue, is essential for the improvement of the human condition. But if used wrongly, it becomes dangerous. Utopia has an inherent contradictory nature here.
— Lyman Tower Sargent, Utopianism: A very short introduction (2010)^[3]

The opposite of a utopia is a dystopia. Utopian and dystopian fiction has become a popular literary category. Despite being common parlance for something imaginary, utopianism inspired and was inspired by some reality-based fields and concepts such as architecture, file sharing, social networks, universal basic income, communes, open borders and even pirate bases.

^ Sargent, Lyman Tower (2016). "Utopianism". Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy. doi:10.4324/9780415249126-S064-1. ISBN 978-0-415-25069-6.
^ Giroux, H. (2003). "Utopian thinking under the sign of neoliberalism: Towards a critical pedagogy of educated hope". Democracy & Nature. 9 (1): 91–105. doi:10.1080/1085566032000074968.
^ Sargent, Lyman Tower (2010). Utopianism: A very short introduction. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. p. 21. doi:10.1093/actrade/9780199573400.003.0002. ISBN 978-0-19-957340-0.

[1] Sargent, Lyman Tower (2016). "Utopianism". Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy. doi:10.4324/9780415249126-S064-1. ISBN 978-0-415-25069-6.

[Giroux,_H._2003._pp.91-105-2] Giroux, H. (2003). "Utopian thinking under the sign of neoliberalism: Towards a critical pedagogy of educated hope". Democracy & Nature. 9 (1): 91–105. doi:10.1080/1085566032000074968.

[3] Sargent, Lyman Tower (2010). Utopianism: A very short introduction. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. p. 21. doi:10.1093/actrade/9780199573400.003.0002. ISBN 978-0-19-957340-0.

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