10 Examples of Utopia and Dystopia

The Utopia it is an idea of ​​an imaginary, idyllic, perfect and just society, in which people live in harmony. For example: A society in which there are no inequalities of any kind.

The dystopia it is a representation of an imaginary, unjust and chaotic society, in which no one would want to be. For example: A human civilization that is subjected to aliens.Therefore, utopia and dystopia are opposite concepts.

As for their context of use, these terms are used in philosophy, politics or economics to refer to societies imaginary images that do not exist in the present, but could come to do so (depending on the case, it is more or less possible that happen).

In these disciplines, utopian societies are described to propose alternative organizations that are considered better than the current ones. Instead, explanations of dystopian societies serve to pose how the world should not be. In both cases, the reality of the present is criticized, pointing out which aspects need to be improved.

In addition, both concepts are used in artistic disciplines, especially in cinema and literature, with the purpose of provoking in the spectator or in the reader a different and critical understanding of society current.

In relation to utopia, art creates places that do not exist, that are perfect and that are isolated from other civilizations. However, in different works, dystopia is more used than utopia, since it is more common to describe future societies in which there are systems totalitarian politicians, dominant technological elements, natural disasters or invasions of different beings, which make life very difficult in those terms.

In most dystopian stories, real elements are usually combined (because they refer to or are similar to something that exists) with unreal phenomena (because they describe situations that do not occur in the present and are usually linked to science fiction).

Characteristics of utopia

The characteristics that make a utopian society desirable are:

Characteristics of dystopia

The characteristics that make a dystopian society undesirable are:

examples of utopia

1. The Republic, of Plato (427-347 a. C). Although the term utopia did not exist in Ancient Greece, in this book the ideal society is considered to be a democratic city-state. in which there are three social groups: the leaders (those who are in charge of governing fairly), the warriors (those who are in charge of defend the republic) and the manual workers (who have the task of producing all the necessary elements for themselves and for the the rest).
2. Leviathan, by Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679). In this book, the ideal society is governed by an absolute state, which is the result of the social contract between people and which has the power to maintain order, because the freedom of individuals is guaranteed, but limits are set to ensure the well-being of all.
3. utopian socialism. It is a concept developed by different authors, such as Robert Owen (1771-1858) and Flora Tristán (1803-1844), and assumes that the ideal society will be achieved when overcomes the capitalist organization and when the State can guarantee equality (so that there is no more poverty), access to basic services (so that all can use them) and the cooperation of all the subjects (so that everyone works with the objective of producing the food and the elements necessary to live).
4. Sun City, by Tommaso Campanella (1568-1639). In this work, a utopian society is described, which is located on top of a mountain and whose The government is fair and is made up of a leader, Hoh the Metaphysician, and three ministers, Pon, Sin and Mor. In this civilization, technology serves to improve people's lives and production is collective, since everyone works and rests the same amount of time and shares food and elaborate objects.
5. the new atlantis, by Francis Bacon (1561-1626). In this novel, the story of a mythical place inhabited by an ideal, harmonious and balanced society is told. This community developed thanks to scientific and technological knowledge, which made it possible to improve people's lives in relation to production, politics and the economy.

examples of dystopia

1. A happy world, by Aldous Huxley (1894-1963). It is a novel in which the story of Lenina Crowne and Bernard Marx is told in a dystopian setting. The society in which these characters find themselves is divided into castes and is controlled by a government authoritarian, which monitors all citizens and censors artistic creation, religion and other types of knowledge and practices.
2. Alphaville, by Jean-Luc Godard (1930). It is a movie whose plot shows the story of Lemmy Caution, a spy who must go to Alphaville to fulfill two missions. Alphaville is a dystopian city where thoughts and behavior are controlled by a machine. of people and in which there are different prohibited practices, such as the use of a selection of words.
3. The Matrix, by Lana Wachowski (1965) and Lilly Wachowski (1967). It is the first film in a tetralogy that tells the story of Thomas Anderson, a man who works as a programmer and hacker and that he discovers that the reality in which he lives does not exist, but is a virtual illusion controlled by other people.
4. essay on blindness, by José Saramago (1922-2010). This novel tells the story of how people contract a disease that leaves them blind. From this pandemic, a dystopian society is described in which selfishness, chaos and despair reign and which is controlled by a repressive and authoritarian government.
5. a pebble in the sky, by Isaac Asimov (1920-1992). This novel tells the story of Joseph Schwartz, a 20th century tailor who is sent to the future. The Earth of that time is described using topics of dystopian science fiction, since this planet, after a nuclear accident, is almost devastated, with few natural resources and high levels of radioactivity. In addition, other typical elements of this genre appear, such as a galaxy that is ruled by an unjust emperor and the threat of a bacteriological war.

Origin of terms

The word "utopia" was first used by Thomas More in 1516 in his book De optima republicae statu, doque nova insula Utopia, libellus vere aureus, nec minus salutaris quam festivus (On the best state and the new island Utopia, a truly golden little book, no less festive than profitable), to refer to a perfect and egalitarian society, which did not exist and in which people lived in harmony.

This word comes from the modern Latin term Utopia, which may be the union of the Greek voices οὐ ("No and τόπος (“place”) and the Latin suffix -ia or the union of εὖ ("good and τόπος (“place”) and the Latin suffix -ia. So, the concept can refer to a place that does not exist or to one that is good, ideal or pleasant.

As for the origin of the term "dystopia", this word appeared for the first time in 1868 in a speech by John Stuart Mill, a British politician, who used it to criticize the actions and objectives of his government of him.

Dystopia comes from the modern Latin term dystopia, formed by the Greek prefix δυσ- (“evil”) and by the Latin word Utopia (from which the U is removed). Therefore, the concept refers to a bad place that does not exist.

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