How to recognize a dystopia - Alex Gendler

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The genre of dystopia – the ‘not good place’– has captured the imaginations of artists and audiences alike for centuries. But why do we bother with all this pessimism? Alex Gendler explains how dystopias act as cautionary tales – not about some particular government or technology, but the very idea that humanity can be molded into an ideal shape.

Lesson by Alex Gendler, animation by TED-Ed.

Have you ever tried to picture
an ideal world?

One without war, poverty, or crime?

If so, you're not alone.

Plato imagined an enlightened
republic ruled by philosopher kings,

many religions promise
bliss in the afterlife,

and throughout history,

various groups have tried to build
paradise on Earth.

Thomas More's 1516 book "Utopia"
gave this concept a name,

Greek for "no place."

Though the name suggested impossibility,

modern scientific and political progress

raised hopes of these dreams
finally becoming reality.

But time and time again,
they instead turned into nightmares

of war, famine, and oppression.

And as artists began to question
utopian thinking,

the genre of dystopia,
the not good place, was born.

One of the earliest dystopian works
is Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels."

Throughout his journey, Gulliver
encounters fictional societies,

some of which at first seem impressive,
but turn out to be seriously flawed.

On the flying island of Laputa,

scientists and social planners
pursue extravagant and useless schemes

while neglecting the practical needs
of the people below.

And the Houyhnhnm who live
in perfectly logical harmony

have no tolerance for the imperfections
of actual human beings.

With his novel, Swift established
a blueprint for dystopia,

imagining a world where certain trends
in contemporary society

are taken to extremes,

exposing their underlying flaws.

And the next few centuries would
provide plenty of material.

Industrial technology that promised
to free laborers

imprisoned them in slums
and factories, instead,

while tycoons grew richer than kings.

By the late 1800's, many feared
where such conditions might lead.

H. G. Wells's "The Time Machine" imagined
upper classes and workers

evolving into separate species,

while Jack London's "The Iron Heel"
portrayed a tyrannical oligarchy

ruling over impoverished masses.

The new century brought more exciting
and terrifying changes.

Medical advances made it possible
to transcend biological limits

while mass media allowed instant
communication

between leaders and the public.

In Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World",
citizens are genetically engineered

and conditioned to perform
their social roles.

While propaganda and drugs keep
the society happy,

it's clear some crucial
human element is lost.

But the best known dystopias
were not imaginary at all.

As Europe suffered unprecedented
industrial warfare,

new political movements took power.

Some promised to erase
all social distinctions,

while others sought to unite people
around a mythical heritage.

The results were real-world dystopias

where life passed under the watchful eye
of the State

and death came with ruthless efficiency
to any who didn't belong.

Many writers of the time didn't
just observe these horrors,

but lived through them.

In his novel "We", Soviet writer
Yevgeny Zamyatin described a future

where free will and individuality
were eliminated.

Banned in the U.S.S.R., the book inspired
authors like George Orwell

who fought on the front lines
against both fascism and communism.

While his novel "Animal Farm" directly
mocked the Soviet regime,

the classic "1984" was a broader critique
of totalitarianism, media, and language.

And in the U.S.A., Sinclair Lewis's
"It Can't Happen Here"

envisioned how easily democracy
gave way to fascism.

In the decades after World War II,

writers wondered what new technologies

like atomic energy,
artificial intelligence, and space travel

meant for humanity's future.

Contrasting with popular visions
of shining progress,

dystopian science fiction expanded
to films, comics, and games.

Robots turned against their creators

while TV screens broadcast
deadly mass entertainment.

Workers toiled in space colonies
above an Earth of depleted resources

and overpopulated, crime-plagued cities.

Yet politics was never far away.

Works like "Dr. Strangelove" and "Watchmen"
explored the real threat of nuclear war,

while "V for Vendetta"
and "The Handmaid's Tale"

warned how easily our rights could
disappear in a crisis.

And today's dystopian fiction continues
to reflect modern anxieties

about inequality,

climate change,

government power,

and global epidemics.

So why bother with all this pessimism?

Because at their heart, dystopias
are cautionary tales,

not about some particular government
or technology,

but the very idea that humanity can be
molded into an ideal shape.

Think back to the perfect world
you imagined.

Did you also imagine what it would
take to achieve?

How would you make people cooperate?

And how would you make sure it lasted?

Now take another look.

Does that world still seem perfect?