List of Charcteristics to use in Comparing Utopias and Dystopias

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Comparing Utopias and Dystopias

CAUSALITY-- how did or will this society come about?

        a) act of God or accident of nature beyond human control
        b) human reason or a change in human nature
        c) social revolution (violent)
        d) scientific, chemical, technological inventions

COSMOLOGY--  where is this society located in time and space?

a) in history and real world or out of history in fantasy world
b) retrospective or prospective
c) on earth or elsewhere MAINTENANCE--  how is social stability insured? a) how stable is this society?
b) maintained through a natural, undirected process?
c) maintained through social engineering?
d) maintained through other artifical means?
e) does it have to be defended from outside, and how? PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS--   what is society's relation to nature? a) rural or urban/ garden or city
b) fruitful or desolate
c) size and scope (isolated or whole world)
d) climate and seasons (presence of nature) SOCIAL ORGANIZATION--  how do people relate to one another? a) class structure
b) structure of authority and government 1) degree of anarchy
2) dominance pattern (based on home, feudal, etc.)
3) 'Size of administrative units
4) degree of centralization c) decision-making process 1) made by authorities (who?)
2) made by group/ consensus
3) made solely or mostly by individual d) crime 1) what is defined as criminal behavior
2) how much crime is there?
3) how is crime controlled?
4) legal system
5) kinds and degree of punishment ECONOMIC ORGANIZATION--  how are goods and services produced and exchanged? a) how much competition and how regulated
b) attitude towards work 1) what kind of hierarchies in value of work
2) how is work assigned
3) what is purpose of work (product or process) c) attitudes towards arts and crafts
d) what kinds of products most typical and in demand
ATTITUDE TOWARDS SCIENCE--  what is the balance, between research, technology, and nature?


a) how much technology
b) what is balance/relationship between technology and nature
c) how initiatory, free, productive, pure is science
GENDER ROLES AND RELATIONSHIPS--  how strongly differentiated are the two sexes


a) are basic sex differences assumed (mental, emotional)
b) how strong are societal sex-roles
                1) work
                2) personality characteristics and self-image
                3) emotional orientations
       c) marriage
                1) does it exist
                2) monogamous/ permanent
                3) plural
                4) temporary FAMILY LIFE--   how are children raised a) how strong is biological nuclear family
b) what is attitude towards illegitimacy
c) how are children named
d) who is responsible for child care and rearing
e) how are children educated and by whom
f) how high is the birth rate
g) how much are children romanticized
h) what kinds of initiation rites EPISTEMOLOGY--  what is assumed nature of wo/man and how does s/he orient to reality a) how efficient and central is reason
b) how important are intuition and empathy
c) which emotions are primary
d) degree of split<integration 1) objective/ subjective
2) reason/ emotion
3) good/evil METAPHYSICS --  what are the central symbols and myths of society a) is there a god; how envisioned
b) what are major myths, legends, folktales
c) what are presiding metaphors in text 1 ) spatial            2) processes