Reflection

Coming into this intensive, my definition of a utopia was “an intentional society that has attempted to create a society with perfect qualities and ideals.” That is the exact definition I gave in class when we were prompted on what a utopia is and what the criteria is for it to be successful. At the commencement of the intensive I did believe that utopias were not strictly fictional parts of the imagination, but I had trouble giving examples of how to create a utopia, or if there had been any true utopias before.

                Throughout this intensive my beliefs have greatly changed. By visiting so-called utopian societies and seeing how they lived and why they failed, I have come to the conclusion that utopias are not only a figment of the imagination but also actually a dystopia. I have come to this realization by further understanding the downfalls of these claimed utopias. Many of them failed because they could not support themselves in an ever changing and evolving society, both economically and agriculturally. Another reason why many of these societies failed was due to their attempt to welcome anybody into the society with open arms. Many people, even today, are fighting for the right to be equal, and many of these societies attempted to create a fair community. Without a touch of exclusion and criteria that must be met, a society will fail because of the unbalanced dynamic.

                In sum, my previous thought that utopias were an attainable goal was naïve due to my lack of knowledge in the subject and I know have a more educated opinion. This opinion is that utopias are unachievable and strictly a figment of the creators imagination.