Andrew M. Ward
From its very inception utopia was not intended to describe current conditions, but to project the possibilities for human flourishing, and so escaping the material and social restrictions of any ‘real’ place. Yet, many attempts have indeed been made to make utopian ideas a reality. Whilst none can be characterized as having completely achieved their aims, they have shown us that another world is possible.
Andrew M. Ward
We live in a strange cultural moment. AI has replaced robotic automation as the main source of fear about our jobs being made obsolete. But whilst we continue to both fear and welcome a world without work, we remain in thrall to the culture of grind, of the protestant work ethic. Unsurprisingly, so too is work a central concern of utopias.
Plenty Lands in Myth and the Imagination
Andrew M. Ward
Whilst many utopias offer a complex vision of an ideal society, with prescriptions for organization, others simply challenge our priorities, and ask us whether we might want to feast and drink to our hearts desire, and avoid any unnecessary toil or trouble. We might just have lost our sense of fun and fantasy.
Utopian Colonies
Andrew M. Ward
When we think of utopia, (hopefully) few of us would immediately think of colonialism. Yet the histories, and philosophies of utopianism are deeply intertwined. The dream of building a new society often involves a clean slate, a tabula rasa, an empty land*.* Utopias often depict empty lands on which to project their ideal society. The obvious problem is that the very few uninhabited places in the world are uninhabited for a reason.