1. UTOPIA By Rebecca Scarlett Shearer. Utopia is the term to describe a world or community that is essentially perfect and harmonious, and that has successful social, political, and legal systems.
2. DYSTOPIA The opposite of Utopia is Dsytopia- a society or other group dominated by war and violence. In the 19th century, it became popular belief that social discord would be caused by consumerism.
3. BLOCH AND ADORNO While debating with Earnst Bloch in 1964, Adorno claimed that Utopia had actually been realised and that what people had previously described as Utopian concepts had actually come to pass, such as the invention of television and other recent technological developments such as the possibility of moving faster than sound.
4. BLOCH AND ADORNO Bloch countered this that by agreeing that although some Utopian ideas had in fact become a reality, Utopian thinking had not ended, because people still wished for new things.
5. CONSUMERISM In present day, we live in a consumerist society where new things are invented and developed further all the time. Never have we been so obsessed with new developments- because with rapidly developing technologies, they have never been so attainable.
6. THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF UTOPIA Many people in the 21st century who imagine Utopia may imagine a self-indulgent world full of never ending wealth, high end fashion, beauty, and constant happiness resulting from all these things. However, since we never cease to think of ways to improve things currently in existence, none of these dreams can ever be fully realised. “What is "new" is only one concretized potential that by its manifestation indicates the existence of the other potentials that have not been realized.” –Adorno
7. THE IRONY OF THE 21ST CENTURY’S SEARCH FOR AN UTTAINABLE UTOPIA Ironically, wasn’t it noted in the 19th Century, that discord would be caused by consumerism, and that this would ultimately bring about a state of Dystopia?
8. DYSTOPIA CAN BE THE RESULT OF THE SEARCH FOR UTOPIA We have become so obsessed with selfish perfection that we have created a world full of vanity, greed, and other negative, dangerous, and sometimes unlawful behaviours. Drug Addiction (from wanting to maintain constant states of Euphoria) Eating disorders (from wanting a “perfect” body) Internet and text bullying (from connecting everyone on such a virtual level)
9. UTOPIA CAN NEVER BE ACHIEVED We are definitely capable of improving our lives, and the lives of others around us- modern technology has helped the sick, and made it possible for us to communicate with people across the world within seconds. However, we will never solve all the world’s problems or be able to achieve or maintain a state of absolute perfection.
10. WE SHOULD ACCEPT THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF PERFECTION I think that it is important to realise that true perfection can never be achieved, because it is simply human nature to want to improve and develop everything we have, because we have the power to build on everything we will ever create. Absolute perfection will always be out of reach, and we should accept this to avoid Dystopia. “ The new is the longing for the new, not the new itself” –Adorno.
