Introduction

David Reisman

Chapter 1 in Economy and Utopia, 2026, pp 1-4 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: This short introduction states the theme of the book and surveys the 12 chapters. Utopia is a perfect or idyllic state of affairs which, while currently existing ‘nowhere’, can be made reality through a series of reforms. These extend to the economic activities of production, consumption, distribution and exchange. The principal authors who have experimented with a design for excellence are Thomas More, Francis Bacon, Henri de Saint-Simon, Gerrard Winstanley, Étienne Cabet, Tommaso Campanella, Richard Harrington, Edward Bellamy and William Morris. Secondary authors such as Hall, Godwin and Mercier are introduced to demonstrate the diversity within the genre. Dystopians from Zamyatin to Orwell are shown to have disagreed with the optimism of the core social engineers. Before More in 1516 or after Morris in 1890 there have been few great works in this genre.

Keywords: Economic Systems; Ideal States; Social Engineering; Utopia; Dystopia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035368600
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