Role of Hope and Ideology in Utopian and Scientific Socialism

UTOPIA AND DYSTOPIA
by (Name)
Class (Course)
Professor (Tutor)
School (University)
City and State
Date
Utopia and Dystopia
Socialism is a political and economic concept that advocates for social ownership of means of production. This theory establishes a system that will increase happiness for all citizens. At the beginning of the sixteenth century, in his Utopia, Thomas Moore outlined a society of social ownership of production factors. However, Karl Marx and Engels criticized Moore's ideology as utopian socialism (Paden, 2002). Horowitz (1989) described utopia as ‘‘any imaginary system of social or political perfection.’’ It explains the illusionary existence of a perfect society with moral values. This ideology can be useful in constructing scientific socialism despite criticism surrounding it. Therefore, utopian socialism is an ideology based on the notion that a just society can be developed by eradicating evil. In contrast, scientific socialism is based on the idea that society can realize changes through revolution. These ideologies are different but share some viewpoints. For instance, Utopian socialists and scientific socialists focus on abolishing private ownership and creating the social ownership of property (Horowitz, 1989). Thinkers of both concepts wanted to eliminate poverty and unemployment. They also wanted to create a society of equality, including equal distribution of resources and wealth. Within utopian socialism and scientific socialism are hope and ideology, which the two concepts view separately. This essay discusses the role of hope and ideology in utopian socialism and scientific socialism.
Utopian Socialism
Utopian socialists were a group of thinkers who believed that creating a moral and just society was possible by eliminating evil (Gili & Mangone, 2022). They presented a distant vision of an ethically equitable society where everyone had good morals and people were treated equally. These thinkers assumed that individuals would end their selfishness and consider the common good. They strive for a perfect and equal society by promoting the ideals of an impartial humanitarian world dominated by strong moral values, faith, hope, and happiness. Utopian socialists believe that a just and equal society can be established by eliminating inequalities, encouraging common ownership, rejecting selfish and despotic rulers, creating equal opportunities for everyone, promoting harmony within the society, instituting primacy of collective rights over individual rights, eliminating class struggles, and encouraging equal redistribution of wealth and resources (Engels, 1999).
One of the major utopian socialist ideas is promoting good morals. Good morals breed positive values, which help establish a perfect society. During the industrial revolution, people worked for many hours and were prone to fatalities due to exhaustion. They aimed to improve the work conditions and the existing social, economic, and political systems. They also believed in establishing a utopian society with minimum challenges due to good morals. Utopian socialists supposed that education was a significant aspect of a humane society, change was possible without violence, and equal wealth distr...