![]() ![]() ![]() A portion of this question can be partially answered by inquiring into some examples of utopian literature, a long tradition notoriously initiated by Thomas More’s Utopia in 1516 (More, 1995) and developed through the centuries in a variety of genres: philosophical essays, literary novels, short stories, the visual arts, and, in the Twentieth century, film, radio and television (see Mumford, 1992 Manuel, Manuel, 1979 Jameson 2005 Mordacci, 2020).ģA notable feature of this literature is that, around the turn from the Nineteenth to the Twentieth Century, it has undergone a radical change from a positive characterization of the ideal society to a negative representation of totalitarian States disguised as perfect societies. We should ask ourselves why this transition took place: what is it that makes us afraid of the possibilities raised by reproductive technologies? What brought us, in late modernity, from utopia to dystopia, in the perception of reproductive practices?ĢA thorough analysis of this complex social and cultural change is clearly beyond the limits of this paper. On the whole, this cultural and social change might be described by many (though not all) as a transition from utopia to dystopia. When compared with the imaginaries of the past centuries, and limiting ourselves to modern ones, a sinister turn has been impressed on our perception of reproductive practices, mainly due to their connection with science and technology. While having some fun in the process, too.1Our reproductive imaginaries have changed considerably in the Twentieth Century. In this tradition, utopia should be understood, not as a blueprint to be implemented in its detailed totality, but an unstable and unrealizable image of the future that serves to critique the present. Though there is no final resolution to be reached on the interpretation of More’s Utopia - which remains a rather enigmatic book - there are convincing arguments to approach it as a satirical text in the tradition of serio ludere. The dismissal of societal alternatives as theorized by Achterhuis, became a defining feature of the postpolitical culture in the Netherlands after 1989, the year that Wim Kok, leader of the social democrat party (PvdA), renounced its “striving towards the Grand Aim”. A path that has inexorably lead to the modern totalitarian regimes of Stalin, Mao and the Khmer Rouge. ![]() In his view, More’s Utopia has carved a path that subsequent generations of utopian thinkers have been forced to follow, often against their will. ![]() Do utopian ideas necessarily lead to violence and totalitarianism? Does it need to end “in a miserable fit of the blues”, as Marx once famously wrote? Is it possible to transform society on the basis of ideas? What role can intellectuals play in politics? The Dutch philosopher Hans Achterhuis has formulated forceful answers to these questions. More’s Utopia functions as a platform to discuss the merits of utopian thought and intellectual engagement as such. The scholarly debate on whether Utopia should be read as satire, or as a detailed blueprint for a new society has implications that stretch far beyond the text itself. Published in 1516, Thomas More’s Utopia would become the founding text of the utopian tradition. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |