Every human institution has a guiding mission statement or

philosophy. Yet there is no specific global plan for Humanity's

future. Without a plan, happenstance determines destination.
Instead of leaving its fate up to chance, Humanity should select its
own destination.

Since Utopia is the best Humanity can perceive, Utopia should

be Humanity's guiding philosophy. This ultimate philosophy of
striving for the best life possible for everyone, can be one global
element of common sense and common purpose in an otherwise
complex and fragmented world. Utopian philosophy can be the
goal that unites the world for good and noble actions.

This web site has a modern day trilogy on how Humanity can
achieve Utopia. To read any of the three books below, just click on
that book. To read a summary of this trilogy, just scroll down this
page. Plus, there are links to interesting web sites below the
summary.

Book III sets

Book I sets forth a
Book II sets forth forth
practical theory on
actual methods for some views of
how
merging what
to merge reality and
reality and Utopia Utopia may be
Utopia
like
 BOOK I || BOOK II || BOOK III

UTOPIA & UTOPIAN PHILOSOPHY

Summary of "The Ultimate Philosophy"

Every person has thought, at least once in their life, that it

would be nice if there were no disease, no crime, no poverty, and/or
for some other improvement in the Human condition. Since everyone
has dreamed of a better world, it is fair to say that Humanity has a
common dream. While no two humans are exactly the same, we are
all of one race, the human race, and we all share the experience of
life in an essentially identical carbon-based life-form structure. We
all work for continuing survival while in this structure, and hope for
a happy, safe, and good life for ourselves and for our loved ones.
Therefore, everyone has a common desire for the best life attainable.
"Utopia" is the word used to denote the best life attainable. Since
each person has their own unique vision of Utopia, the only
universally agreeable description of Utopia is, "the ability for each
person to live in their own vision of paradise." Humanity should
strive to obtain that ability.

Since humans consist of both a tangible physical state (body)

and an intangible mental state (mind), the way to achieve Utopia is to
find technologies and methods that fully satisfy both states of human
existence. With the right new knowledge Humanity can solve any
problem and achieve any desired result. History has shown that
anytime humanity wants to learn how to do something, such as land
a man on the moon, the answers can be found if money and resources
are devoted to the cause. Therefore, we should be devoting more
resources toward finding the knowledge that will allow each person
to live as they desire.

Human DNA has been fully mapped and now it is just a matter
of determining what each gene does so that we can manipulate the
same to stop illness, increase intelligence, etc. Princeton University
scientists have already genetically enhanced the intelligence of mice.
Aged brains have been restored to youthful vigor in a gene therapy
experiment with monkeys. Scientists have recently created a new life
form in the laboratory by creating a new genetic pattern of a simple
organism. Cloning capabilities are increasing. Computing
capabilities are going ballistic, and artificial intelligence seems to be
on the horizon. With robots, machines, computers, and other
technologies beyond our current knowledge such as nanotechnology,
we can have unlimited production capabilities. With genetic
engineering, chemical manipulation, and future technologies we can
enhance the mental state of existence. In sum, with the right new
knowledge, humanity can have infinite provision for all tangible and
intangible needs and wants for existence, and thereby have Utopia. If
humanity recognized this reality, and devoted more resources toward
knowledge, we could accelerate the pace at which we reach a better
world.

The three basic ways of interacting with knowledge, are: 1)

dissemination from accessing stored information, through teaching,
or from other methods of communication; 2) use through actions
based on awareness of knowledge; and 3) acquisition of new
knowledge from research, through experience, or from other avenues
of discovery. Humanity has achieved proficient methods for
dissemination of knowledge, and simply needs to better utilize the
same in order to facilitate the use of knowledge. The primary method
for finding new knowledge is through research and development.
Less than 2% of current global productivity is being devoted to
research and development. Clearly Humanity could and should be
investing more in its future.

Everyone makes a vote as to the type of world we have with

their lifetime efforts, and the total of all human actions determines
whether the world is like a heaven on earth or a living hell.
Therefore, the pursuit of Utopia can be implemented through the
consensus method. The consensus method simply involves putting a
dream into words and spreading those words until a large enough
consensus is created to cause positive action by society. Individually
and collectively we must shine the light of knowledge on the
darkness of ignorance, until we find our best. If we take such a path,
at some point in the future, Humanity will have a heaven on earth,
where everyone lives as they desire.

In sum, since everyone desires a good life, we should make the same
a common goal,
and devote some more resources toward finding the knowledge to
make it a reality for all.

A simple plan to make a dream come true:

who = humans
what = best life
where = globally
why = self destiny
when = future
how = knowledge
Utopia
Previous (Utilitarianism)

Next (Uyghur people)

Left panel (The Earthly Paradise, Garden of Eden), from Hieronymus Bosch's The Garden of
Earthly Delights. This artist showed in his paintings part of the desires that induce human
beings in pursuit of a heaven on earth.

Utopia is a term denoting a visionary or ideally perfect state of society, whose members live
the best possible life. The term Utopia was coined by Thomas More from the Greek words
ou (no or not), and topos (place), as the name for the ideal state in his book, De optimo
reipublicae statu deque nova insula Utopia (Louvain, 1516).

Utopianism refers to the various ways in which people think about, depict, and attempt to
create a perfect society. Utopian thought deals with morality, ethics, psychology, and political
philosophy, and often originates from the belief that reason and intelligence can bring about
the betterment of society. It is usually characterized by optimism that an ideal society is
possible. Utopianism plays an important role in motivating social and political change.
Contents
[hide]

1 More's Utopia
2 Utopian Literature
3 Utopianism
4 Types of Utopia
o 4.1 Economic Utopias
o 4.2 Political and Historical Utopias
o 4.3 Religious Utopia
o 4.4 Scientific and Technological Utopias
o 4.5 Related Terms
5 Examples of Utopias
6 References
7 External Links
o 7.1 General Philosophy Sources
8 Credits

The adjective "utopian" is sometimes used in a negative connotation to discredit ideas as too
advanced, too optimistic or unrealistic and impossible to realize. The term Utopian has also
been used to describe actual communities founded in attempts to create an ideal economic
and political system. Many works of utopian literature offer detailed and practical
descriptions of an ideal society, but usually include some fatal flaw that makes the
establishment of such a society impossible.

More's Utopia

Woodcut by Ambrosius Holbein for the 1518 edition of Thomas More's Utopia
The term Utopia was coined by Thomas More from the Greek words ou (no or not), and
topos (place), as the name for the ideal state in his book, De optimo reipublicae statu deque
nova insula Utopia (Utopia Louvain, 1516). The book is narrated by a Portuguese traveler
named Raphael Hythlodaeus, who criticizes the laws and customs of European states while
admiring the ideal institutions which he observes during a five year sojourn on the island of
Utopia.

Did you know?

The term Utopia was coined by Thomas More as the name for the ideal state in his
book, "Utopia," which described a fictional perfect society

Utopia is a perfect society, where poverty and misery have been eliminated, there are few
laws and no lawyers, and the citizens, though ready to defend themselves if necessary, are
pacifists. Citizens hold property in common, and care is taken to teach everyone a trade from
which he can make a living, so that there is no need for crime. Agriculture is treated as a
science and taught to children as part of their school curriculum; every citizen spends some of
his life working on a farm. The people live in 54 cities, separated from each other by a
distance of at least 24 miles. The rural population lives in communal farmhouses scattered
through the countryside. Everyone works only six hours a day; this is sufficient because the
people are industrious and do not require the production of useless luxuries for their
consumption. A body of wise and educated representatives deliberates on public affairs, and
the country is governed by a prince, selected from among candidates chosen by the people.
The prince is elected for life, but can be removed from office for tyranny. All religions are
tolerated and exist in harmony; atheism is not permitted since, if a man does not fear a god of
some kind, he will commit evil acts and weaken society. Utopia rarely sends its citizens to
war, but hires mercenaries from among its warlike neighbors, deliberately sending them into
danger in the hope that the more belligerent populations of all surrounding countries will be
gradually eliminated.

Utopia was first published in Louvain in 1516, without Mores knowledge, by his friend
Erasmus. It was not until 1551, sixteen years after More's execution as a traitor, that it was
first published in England as an English translation.

Although some readers have regarded Utopia as a realistic blueprint for a working nation,
More likely intended it as a satire, allowing him to call attention to European political and
social abuses without risking censure by the king. The similarities to the ideas later developed
by Karl Marx are evident, but More was a devout Roman Catholic and probably used
monastic communalism as his model. The politics of Utopia have been seen as influential to
the ideas of Anabaptism, Mormonism, and communism. An applied example of More's
utopia can be seen in Vasco de Quiroga's implemented society in Michoacn, Mexico, which
was directly taken and adapted from More's work.

Utopian Literature
The word utopia overtook More's short work and has been used ever since to describe any
type of imaginary ideal society. Although he may not have founded the genre of utopian and
dystopian fiction, More certainly popularized it. Some of the early works which owe
something to Utopia include The City of the Sun by Tommaso Campanella, Description of the
Republic of Christianopolis by Johannes Valentinus Andreae, New Atlantis by Francis Bacon
and Candide by Voltaire.

The more modern genre of science fiction frequently depicts utopian or dystopian societies in
fictional works such as Aldous Huxley's Brave New World (1932) Lost Horizon by James
Hilton (1933), "A Modern Utopia" (1905) and New Worlds for Old (1908) by H. G. Wells,
The Great Explosion by Eric Frank Russell (1963), News From Nowhere by William Morris,
Andromeda Nebula (1957) by Ivan Efremov, 1984 (1949) by George Orwell, and The Giver
(1993) by Lois Lowry. Authors of utopian fiction are able to explore some of the problems
raised by utopian concepts and to develop interesting consequences. Many works make use of
an outsider, a time-traveler or a foreigner, who observes the features of the society and
describes them to the reader.

Utopianism
Utopian thought is born from the premise that through reason and intelligence, humankind is
capable of creating an ideal society in which every individual can achieve fulfillment without
infringing on the happiness and well-being of the other members of society. It includes the
consideration of morality, ethics, psychology, and social and political philosophy. Utopian
thinking is generally confined to physical life on earth, although it may include the
preparation of the members of society for a perceived afterlife. It invariably includes criticism
of the current state of society and seeks ways to correct or eliminate abuses. Utopianism is
characterized by tension between philosophical ideals and the practical realities of society,
such as crime and immorality; there is also a conflict between respect for individual freedom
and the need to maintain order. Utopian thinking implies a creative process that challenges
existing concepts, rather than an ideology or justification for a belief system which is already
in place.

Two of Platos dialogues, Republic and Laws, contain one of the earliest attempts to define a
political organization that would not only allow its citizens to live in harmony, but would also
provide the education and experience necessary for each citizen to realize his highest
potential.

During the nineteenth century, thinkers such as Henri Saint-Simon, Charles Fourier, and
Etienne Cabet in France, and Robert Owen in England popularized the idea of creating small,
experimental communities to put philosophical ideals into practice. Karl Marx and Friedrich
Engels recognized that utopianism offered a vision for a better future, a vision that
contributed much to Marxism, but they also criticized utopian writers' lack of a wider
understanding of social and political realities which could contribute to actual political
change. Herbert Marcuse made a distinction between abstract utopias based on fantasy and
dreams, and concrete utopias based on critical social theory.

Utopianism is considered to originate in the imaginative capacity of the subconscious mind,

which is able to transcend conscious reality by projecting images of hopes, dreams, and
desires. Utopian ideas, though they may never be fully realized, play an important role in
bringing about positive social change. They allow thinkers to distance themselves from the
existing reality and consider new possibilities. The optimism that a better society can be
achieved provides motivation and a focal point for those involved in bringing about social or
political change. Abolitionism, womens rights and feminism, the Civil Rights movement, the
establishment of a welfare system to take care of the poor, the Red Cross, and
multiculturalism are all examples of utopian thinking applied to practical life.

Types of Utopia
Economic Utopias

The harsh economic conditions of the nineteenth century and the social disruption created by
the development of commercialism and capitalism led several writers to imagine
economically utopian societies. Some were characterized by a variety of socialist ideas: an
equal distribution of goods according to need, frequently with the total abolition of money;
citizens laboring for the common good; citizens doing work which they enjoyed; and ample
leisure time for the cultivation of the arts and sciences. One such utopia was described in
Edward Bellamy's Looking Backward. Another socialist utopia was William Morris' News
from Nowhere, written partially in criticism of the bureaucratic nature of Bellamy's utopia.

Capitalist utopias, such as the one portrayed in Robert A. Heinlein's The Moon Is a Harsh
Mistress or Ayn Rands The Fountainhead, are generally individualistic and libertarian, and
are based on perfect market economies, in which there is no market failure. Eric Frank
Russell's book The Great Explosion (1963) details an economic and social utopia, the first to
mention of the idea of Local Exchange Trading Systems (LETS).

Political and Historical Utopias

Political utopias are ones in which the government establishes a society that is striving toward
perfection. These utopias are based on laws administered by a government, and often restrict
individualism when it conflicts with the primary goals of the society. Sometimes the state or
government replaces religious and family values. A global utopia of world peace is often seen
as one of the possible inevitable ends of history.

Religious Utopia

New Harmony, Indiana, a utopian attempt; depicted as proposed by Robert Owen

Through history a number of religious communities have been created to reflect the virtues
and values they believe have been lost or which await them in the Afterlife. In the United
States and Europe during and after the Second Great Awakening of the nineteenth century,
many radical religious groups sought to form communities where all aspects of people's lives
could be governed by their faith. Among the best-known of these utopian societies were the
Puritans, and the Shaker movement, which originated in England in the eighteenth century
but moved to America shortly after its founding.

The most common utopias are based on religious ideals, and usually required adherence to a
particular religious tradition. The Jewish, Christian and Islamic concepts of the Garden of
Eden and Heaven may be interpreted as forms of utopianism, especially in their folk-religious
forms. Such religious "utopias" are often described as "gardens of delight," implying an
existence free from worry in a state of bliss or enlightenment. They postulate existences free
from sin, pain, poverty and death, and often assume communion with beings such as angels
or the houri. In a similar sense the Hindu concept of Moksha and the Buddhist concept of
Nirvana may be thought of as a kind of utopia.

Many cultures and cosmogonies include a myth or memory of a distant past when humankind
lived in a primitive and simple state of perfect happiness and fulfillment. The various myths
describe a time when there was an instinctive harmony between man and nature, and mans
needs were easily supplied by the abundance of nature. There was no motive for war or
oppression, or any need for hard and painful work. Humans were simple and pious, and felt
themselves close to the gods. These mythical or religious archetypes resurge with special
vitality during difficult times, when the myth is not projected towards the remote past, but
towards the future or a distant and fictional place (for example, The Land of Cockaygne, a
straightforward parody of a paradise), where the possibility of living happily must exist.

Golden Age

The Golden Age by Lucas Cranach the Elder

Works and Days, compilation of the mythological tradition by the Greek poet Hesiod, around
the eighth century B.C.E., explained that, prior to the present era, there were four
progressively most perfect ones.

A medieval poem (c. 1315) , entitled "The Land of Cokaygne" depicts a land of extravagance
and excess where cooked larks flew straight into one's mouth; the rivers ran with wine, and a
fountain of youth kept everyone young and active.

Far in the sea, to the west of Spain,

 Is a country called Cokaygne.:There's no land not anywhere,

In goods or riches to compare.

Though Paradise be merry and bright

Cokaygne is of far fairer sight....

Scientific and Technological Utopias

Scientific and technical utopias are set in the future, when it is believed that advanced science
and technology will allow utopian living standards; for example, the absence of death and
suffering; changes in human nature and the human condition. These utopian societies tend to
change what "human" is all about. Normal human functions, such as sleeping, eating and
even reproduction are replaced by artificial means.

Related Terms

Dystopia is a negative utopia: a world wherein utopian ideals have been subverted.
Examples include George Orwell's 1984 and Aldous Huxley's Brave New World.
Eutopia is a positive utopia, roughly equivalent to the regular use of the word
"utopia."
Heterotopia, the "other place," with its real and imagined possibilities (a mix of
"utopian" escapism and turning virtual possibilities into reality)example:
cyberspace. Samuel R. Delany's novel Trouble on Triton is subtitled An Ambiguous
Heterotopia to highlight that it is not strictly utopian (though certainly not
dystopian). The novel offers several conflicting perspectives on the concept of
utopia.
Ourtopia combines the English 'our' with the Greek 'topos' to give 'our place'the
nearest thing to a utopian planet that is actually attainable.

Examples of Utopias
Plato's Republic (400 B.C.E.) was, at least on one level, a description of a political
utopia ruled by an elite of philosopher-kings, conceived by Plato (compare to his
Laws, discussing laws for a real city). (Platos Republic at Project Gutenberg)
The City of God, (written 413426) by Augustine of Hippo, describes an ideal city, the
eternal Jerusalem, the archetype of all Christian utopias.
Utopia (1516) by Thomas More (Full text available from Project Gutenberg)
Reipublicae Christianopolitanae descriptio (Beschreibung des Staates Christenstadt)
(1619) by Johann Valentin Andrea describes a Christian religious utopia inhabited by
a community of scholar-artisans and run as a democracy.
The Anatomy of Melancholy (1621) by Robert Burton, a utopian society is described
in the preface.
The City of the Sun (1623) by Tommaso Campanella depicts a theocratic and
communist society.
The New Atlantis (1627) by Francis Bacon
 Oceana (1656) the Integral, praising the efficiency, the rationality, and the happiness
that life within the confines of the One State can bring to those worlds the Integral
will someday visit.
William Morris News From Nowhere describes a utopian England that has
deindustrialized and returned to a cooperative pastoral lifestyle.
Looking Backward (1888) by Edward Bellamy.
New Australia was a utopian movement founded in 1893 in Paraguay by William
Lane.
Aldous Huxley's Brave New World (1932) can be considered an example of pseudo-
utopian satire. One of his other books, Island (1962), demonstrates a positive utopia.
Shangri-La, described in the novel Lost Horizon by James Hilton (1933)
Islandia (1942), by Austin Tappan Wright , an imaginary island in the Southern
Hemisphere containing many Arcadian elements, including a rejection of technology.
B. F. Skinner's Walden Two (1948)
The Cloud of Magellan (1955) a communistic Utopian future by Stanisaw Lem
Andromeda Nebula (1957) is a classic communist utopia by Ivan Efremov
In The Great Explosion by Eric Frank Russell (1963), the last section sets out a
workable utopian economic system leading to a different social and political reality.
The Matrix (1999), a film by the Wachowski brothers , describes a utopian virtual
reality controlled by artificial intelligence