What Would It Look Like To Try And Build A Utopia?
As conflicts rage on in the Middle East, Africa and Europe, it seems we are increasingly living through a time of war.
This reality does not distinguish us all that much from the rest of human history. Our species has always been interested in conquest and defense.
But what may make our time a bit more unique in its embattlement is the average person’s ability to fight not just with weapons and warfare, but with words and ideas. While many of us will never be soldiers or law enforcement officers, we experience on a daily basis the fiery condemnations hurled across the lines of political parties, religious identities, ethnicities or socio-economic statuses.
In times of war, the presiding question of the age is no longer “how do we create the best society possible,” but instead “how do we survive together?” How do we solve the problem right in front of us and then how do we solve the next one?
Instead of dreaming big, our impulse is to seek solutions in painfully precise increments — not wanting to upset the delicate balance required to get us to agree with one another.
But what if we’ve been going about it wrong? What is the solution to our constant back and forth? What if lasting change were possible only if we do shoot for the stars? What would it look like to try to build a utopia?
On today’s episode, my guests are David Albertson and Jason Blakely. Albertson and Blakely are co-authors of “Utopia for Our Century.” The book which investigates the 500-year-old work of Catholic martyr Thomas More who called on Christians to take action toward building a better world.
Albertson and Blakely explain what utopia actually means, how people of all religious backgrounds can help pursue it and why many modern Christians became anti-utopia and anti-humanist despite both of these ideas having Christian roots.
Matthew Peterson is Religion Unplugged’s podcast editor and audience development coordinator. He took part in this past summer’s European Journalism Institute held in Prague, an annual program co-sponsored by The Media Project.