Utopia vs. Dystopia

Explanation of the terms: -Utopia -Dystopia Thomas More H.G. Wells Content Explanation of the terms: -Utopia -Dystopia Thomas More H.G. Wells

Utopia Ideal society portrayed in fiction/ ideas that could change the world but are impossible to realize Utopian society closely connected with socialist ideas: f.e. Fair distribution of goods (everybody gets the same) Always have to be looked at in certain context: -sciene -politics -society -destribution of power Imaginary society that has solved all problems of our times Perfect place where all citizens are happy → global utopia of world peace → religious utopia (garden of delights) → scientific and technological utopia (absence of death and illness) Was first coined by sir Thomas More → created the neologism

Dystopia Extrapolation: problem of our society that gets extrapolated in dystopian fiction

Thomas More - Utopia Born on the 7th of February in 1478 in London English statesman and humanist who worked as lawyer First long line utopian literature product of an age of change (shipbuilding, navigation) Paved the way for future generations of writers He used presentation of an ideal society to critizise what he viewed as wrong in society → link between utopian vision and social criticism became future of utopian literatur

Thomas More - Utopia Published the first book with utopian ideas in 1516 Novel describes an equal society based on very simple form of communism Constitution of commonwealth that truly deserves that name No man has any property; good of public is important No unequal distribution, so no man is poor or needy Though no man has anything, yet they are all rich because of a cheerful life free from anxieties criticism: noblemen or other people, who do nothing or is employed in things that are of no use to the public, live in luxury → people who are important for commonwealth can only earn poor

Sources https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Morus unsere Lernzettel