How do you envision a Utopian society?

Answer 1

I think the biggest waste in the world is humans competing against other humans. There is really no reason why this must be so.

Take research. Ideally scientists don't waste time studying the same thing, and share their results freely once they get them. When research is conducted in secret, the same work is often performed many times as each group re-invents the wheel, so to speak.

If this is carried to the fullest extent possible, this by itself is going to have to change a lot of other things about the way society works. Obviously the only way it's reasonable to let one team work on something and get them to share afterward is if they don't profit from the outcome at the expense of others who MIGHT have done the same work. Instead the profits and costs (like the results) will have to be shared among all.

Lies are another way that humans demean others in order to benefit themselves. I think now that we're sharing all the knowledge we can, it behooves us to rid ourselves of all the falseness that we can, too. Maybe there need to be some sort of 'department of truth' whose purpose is just to say what is known and what is not about any issue. Statements of untruth that are not overtly for entertainment purposes would have to be banned... even those that only decieve by implication (sorry, advertisers).

I also like freedom. I think that its possible to construct a society that affords its people as much freedom as possible to do things, or even to do nothing if they so choose. It seems odd to me that governments would pay farmers NOT to grow crops and then allow people to go hungry. It seems odd to me that a society would pay extreme costs of a person driven to bankruptcy by a medical expense but not the much more modest costs of maintenance of good health. So I guess this means that in my utopia, every human being can expect at least a rudimentary level of food, safety, and health care. Who knows? This might also stop some crime, perhaps.

I also think that freedom comes with responsibility, so there are some things that are done now that should NOT be done in utopia. People who cause their own trouble, should be permitted to suffer for it. Any maybe that means letting that hiker who got lost in the woods without telling anyone where he was going to die. He made his choice... who are we to shield him from his own foolishness?

A utopia would also need a utopian criminal justice system. Ideally, people who would want to commit crimes have the things that make them want this removed. But I suspect it's unrealistic to expect that no crimes will even occur. The biggest reform that needs to happen, I think, is in the end - instead of punishing people, it needs to focus on reforming them. An ideal prison (to me) is one that is no great burden to an innocent man BECAUSE he is innocent and socially well-adjusted. This alone would remove some of the burden from the question of guilt or innocence, and arguably be far more effective at actually producing productive citizens instead of just punished ones.

That's the high points anway, for what it's worth. Though I avoided using political labels, I can't help but notice that it's fairly socialist in bent. Make of that what you will.

Peace.

Answer 2

I envision it to be quite similar to the world which is portrayed in The Giver; by Lois Lowry. If you've experienced this manuscript, you'll know that the society in which Jonas and his friends/family live is something of, quite frankly, and communist environment. There are strict guidelines governing all aspects of life, and the "elders" make all important decisions.

The book, Prometheus Road, is also a bit of a utopia. However, the text suggests to me that this novel is in reference to a historical society; though by all means fictional.

In addition, Fahrenheit 451 reflects a society of "sameness." There is, of course, more freedom to experience life, though knowledge and experience are practically forbidden.

Edit: My opinion as to Fahrenheit 451 is simply my own thoughts. I did not state, in any way, that the society of that manuscript is a utopia; I simply meant that it had utopia-like qualities.

A utopia is a state of perfection; the government was, in that book, attempting to "perfect" life to meet their standards.

Answer 3

And by "how" you mean...

What I envision? In that case, a society where everyone abided by a universally agreed upon standard of morality (e.g., no stealing, no throwing garbage on the ground, etc.) and laws are intended to raise/maintain a certain quality of life. No Congressmen for me! Legislation would be proposed and passed by the people, with the majority deciding. All academic institutions, whether universities or not, are required to refocus their efforts on effective TEACHING rather than profit-making. But I am generalizing, there are too many details, because the world is crammed full of imperfections. ARRRGH! I'm getting angry already just thinking about it! Maybe I'll write more tomorrow.

EDIT: I couldn't help reading the other answer. Fahrenheit 451 was no utopia - nobody was happy there, people drugged themselves to dumb the pain. Utopias are ideally perfect states; especially in its social and political and moral aspects. To this date, there has never been a utopia that's succeeded. As William Golding, the Nobel Prize winner, said: "The defects of society may be traced to the defects of individuals." It is only human to err, therefore it is only human for society to err. Unfortunate, but true. Utopias are intrinsincally flawed in this way, and we shall never see one.

P.S. How do you experience life without knowledge or experience? Fahrenheit 451's point wasn't letting people experience life, but to replace it with a pale imitation of it. "Flowers...trying to live on flowers" is a line I remember. Parlors, fake TV "families," bans on books - these are all designed to suck the essence out of life.

Answer 4

A society in which the use of physical force was banned... Not that I believe that such a society would completely eradicate violent crime, it would however vastly reduce it, and it would not be perpetrated by the government as a matter of policy.

Galt's Gulch in "Atlas Shrugged" - Ayn Rand

Answer 5

Haven't given it a lot of thought, but for us, an ideal community would be energy efficient, if not self-sufficient. Even better, they would produce enough energy to sell it back to the grid.

They would be largely self-sufficient with regard to vegetable & fruit crops and perhaps meat.

They would work as a team, even though they live in separate but connected housing units.

They would not necessarily need to be homogenous with regard to religion or philosophy; just work ethic.