The concept of utopia

David Reisman

Chapter 3 in Economy and Utopia, 2026, pp 23-34 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: The historic utopians from More to Morris were systems builders. They were not comfortable with isolated ideas or ad hoc intervention that could not be fitted into a broad unifying vision. The authors did not agree on every point: gender, family, the global South, the free market were all areas of dissensus. They did, however, agree on the broad outline of a more perfect future. They explored intellectual and material changes that could bring a utopia into being. They disagreed on the status of ongoing change once their ideal had been achieved. Much of their diagnosis and prescription was a fictionalised critique of their own times. They grounded their ideal community in the values of fraternity, integration, acceptance and leadership. Their model was holistic and organicist. They were not libertarians or individualists. Cultural convergence would ensure conformity and social discipline. There would nonetheless be an ongoing role for government. Utopians were not anarchists. Few were democrats.

Keywords: Social Integration; Functions of Government; Social Organicism; Conformity; Gender; Progress (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035368600
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