Why Utopias Are Not Desirable

Exploring Aldous Huxley’s ‘Brave New World.’

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The Apeiron Blog

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Photo by Johnny Cohen on Unsplash

Coined by Thomas Moore in this 1516 book Utopia, the concept is widely understood as desirable. The idealization of a utopia is intrinsic to its definition as ​an imaginary place or state in which everything is perfect. We love this idea and often have our own thoughts about what a utopia would look like.

There would be no stress, no struggle, no social instability. It would be the perfect place to even just indulge in hedonistic pursuits absent of any conceivable consequences. However, after this daydream, we will likely shrug it off and think to ourselves — it’s impossible.

The case is often made that although a utopia is immensely desirable, it is impossible to achieve. This is because it assumes we humans can be perfected, yet nothing is further from the truth. After all, how can one create a perfect society for an imperfect species?

Nonetheless, we should not depress ourselves with this notion, but rather, we should rejoice. Because although this utopic concept seems enticing at first, the works of Viktor Frankl and Aldous Huxley may say otherwise.

The Cost of a Utopia

Aldous Huxley was an English writer and philosopher in the 20th century most famous for his novel Brave New

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