Utopia: a place "that does not exist and has not existed"
The Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ), in its dictionary, defines utopianism as a propensity to utopia . To know what utopianism is, therefore, we must first focus on the idea of utopia.
Brief definition of "utopia"
A utopia is a desirable venture or initiative but whose realization is almost impossible . The term also refers to the imagination of a positive future for human beings .
The word utopia comes from a fictional island that Thomas More described in a 1516 work. In Utopia there was a legal, social and political system characterized by perfection .
utopianism
Returning to the concept of utopianism, it is the philosophical or ideological tendency towards utopia . The utopian individual pursues the realization of an ideal system, although there is no real basis that allows this plan or desire to be sustained.
Utopianism is usually understood as the phenomenon that tends to construct utopias . As the utopian is associated with the perfect, utopianism is often criticized because, broadly speaking, perfection is incompatible with reality .
For some thinkers, however, utopianism is valuable in itself, regardless of feasibility. The Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano wrote that, every time someone walks to get closer to utopia, it moves away: that is why it is unattainable. However, for Galeano , utopia was precisely for walking. Starting from this premise , we can indicate that utopianism is essential to act or to move forward even if the dreamed goal cannot be reached, since the path is important.
Etymology
In the term utopianism we find the suffix -ism , which comes from the Greek language and gives the idea of "activity or movement", widely used for the creation of words that designate life positions , systems of thought and doctrines.
The first part is occupied by the word utopia , coined by the aforementioned Thomas More, an important English humanist of the 15th century. This was formed by taking two Greek words to create the idea of a "non- place ", a place "that does not exist and has never existed." However, More was not the creator of the concept of utopia, but rather this merit belongs to Plato.
It all started with Plato
The ancient Greeks bequeathed us a volume of knowledge and thoughts that is incalculable. Centuries and millennia pass, but they are still valid and we continue to debate about them. Broadly speaking, we can say that they recognized three social trends : Edenism (the first society was perfect), progressivism (civilization has improved) and utopianism .
We owe the concept of utopianism to Plato
Plato created this concept to ask if human beings would be capable of elevating our society to perfection. This should occur voluntarily, that is, artificially , since our nature would never lead us to such an evolutionary state. Far from being a milestone that we could reach spontaneously, it would be one coldly calculated, supported by the meticulous design of its structures in all areas of life.
Design and planning
Plato's utopianism is a model that could lead to a world where private property no longer existed, for example, but rather resources and goods were distributed perfectly. Something similar would happen with social roles, housing, access to education and jobs.
In short, everything should be designed and planned in detail. The question, therefore, is who will take on that work, added to the implementation of the new system . Plato suggested that this responsibility fell to philosophers because their knowledge was perfect and not based on worldly interests.