Utopia and dystopia in the age of the Anthropocene

Autores

  • Patrícia Vieira Georgetown UniversityWashington DC, USA

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5007/2175-7976.2020.e72386

Resumo

A product of Modernity, utopian and dystopian thought has always hinged upon an assessment as to whether humanity would be able to fulfil the promise of socio-economic, political and techno-scientific progress. In this paper, I argue that the predominantly dystopian outlook of the past century or so marked a move away from former views on human progress. Rather than commenting on humanity’s inability to build a better society, current dystopianism betrays the view that the human species as such is an impediment to harmonious life on Earth. I discuss the shift from utopia to dystopia (and back) as a result of regarding humans as a force that does more harm than good, and I consider the possibility of human extinction within the framework of dystopian and utopian visions. The final section of the chapter turns to Margaret Atwood’s MaddAddam trilogy as a fictional example that plays out the prospect of a world in which humans have all but become extinct.

Biografia do Autor

Patrícia Vieira, Georgetown UniversityWashington DC, USA

Department of Spanish and Portuguese

 

Referências

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Publicado

2021-01-15

Como Citar

Vieira, P. (2021). Utopia and dystopia in the age of the Anthropocene. Esboços: Histórias Em Contextos Globais, 27(46), 350–365. https://doi.org/10.5007/2175-7976.2020.e72386

Edição

Seção

Debate "Antropoceno, utopia e distopia"