Utopia   noun 1. an imaginary island described in Sir Thomas More's book Utopia(1516) as enjoying perfection in law, politics, etc. 2. an ideal place or state. 3. any visionary system of political or social perfection.

Etymology Greek ou(U) meaning not + tóp ( os ) a place. Hence “no place” or “not a place”

Finding Utopia: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peSpUDMcGR8&playnext=1&list=PL2CDD94B21D6A8EB9

Do you consider a utopia as a place where everything is done for you and you don’t have to work?

What are the drawbacks to such a society?

c. 400 BCE

The idea of a utopian society has been with us since the beginning of civilizations.

Plato’s thoughts about an ideal society are recorded in Plato’s Republic.

In this utopian society, all children would be taken away from their parents and raised by a government agency to ensure they were brought up uniformly and correctly.

c. 1900 CE

Lenin wanted to create the ideal society in his Russian homeland. He and his followers overthrew the Russian government in a revolution. Their new system of government was called Socialism or Communism.

One of his ideas was that every person in the society would make the same amount of money as everyone else, no matter what their occupation was.

The ideal society that Lenin envisioned never happened, and his country endured many hardships under his control.

19321949

Many people have thought about what a perfect society would look like and what it would take to make it happen.

Many people regard a utopian society as impossible to achieve, and that any attempt to create a utopian society will only do harm.

These people regard a utopia as really a dystopia – a bad or unhealthy society.

1905 1516

What does a utopian society look like? Well, here are some characteristics you might find in a utopian society. Depending on how you view these characteristics and their effects will determine whether you call it a utopian society or a dystopian society.

1. The government controls information. Anything you see on television or read has been approved by the government and/or made by the government. If the government does not like a TV program, then you won’t see it.

2. No one owns any property. What you have is owned by the government, and you will have most of the same things as your neighbors. Everyone is equal.

3. The government will control how families are raised and educated. You will be free from having to decide how many kids you have or how they are educated. The government will decide this for you.

4. There will be no prisons and little to no crime. Anyone breaking the law will be removed from the community.

5. Utilizing the latest technology, the government will know everything about you to keep everyone safe. They will know what you buy, where you go, who you talk with, what places you like to visit, etc. They will be able to know where you are and what you are doing every second of the day.

Are you ready to createthe perfect society???