Utopias and Dystopias: Civic Possibilities

From Plato's Republic to modern dystopias, people have imagined societies that might better realize justice, equality, and the common good. This course studies utopian and dystopian thought in the West, examining how writers and philosophers envisioned religion, economy, governance, and citizenship. We will consider the possibilities and limits of these imagined societies and what lessons they offer for our own civic horizon.