Utopian Society Utopia is a term for an ideal society. Utopia is a term for an ideal society. It has been used to describe both intentional communities that attempted to create an ideal society, and fictional societies portrayed in literature. It has been used to describe both intentional communities that attempted to create an ideal society, and fictional societies portrayed in literature. The opposite, dystopia, is a negative utopia: a totalitarian and repressive world. The opposite, dystopia, is a negative utopia: a totalitarian and repressive world.

Types of Utopia Economic Economic Political/Historical Political/Historical Religious Religious Scientific/Technological Scientific/Technological

Why Utopia? The idea of utopia expresses some hope that the ideal condition they describe is not completely lost to mankind, that it can be regained in some way or other. The idea of utopia expresses some hope that the ideal condition they describe is not completely lost to mankind, that it can be regained in some way or other.

TWIN OAKS Since Twin Oaks began in 1967, our lifestyle has reflected our values of equality and nonviolence. Our goals have been to sustain and expand a community which values cooperation; which is not sexist or racist; which treats people in a caring and fair manner; and which provides for the basic needs of our members. Although our original inspiration came from B.F. Skinner’s novel, Walden Two, it is now just one of the many influences which have helped shape Twin Oaks’ character. Our desire to be a model social system has broadened to include human- scale solutions to problems of land use, food production, energy conservation, and appropriate use of technology. Twin Oaks supports itself primarily through the manufacture of handcrafted hammocks and other casual furniture items. We also have a book-indexing service, and a growing tofu and soy foods business.

THE FARM "Founded in 1971 at Summertown, Tennessee, with a spiritual commitment to simple living and self- reliance, The Farm has pioneered a wide range of social and physical technologies appropriate to low-cost, high satisfaction community living. The community offers examples of solar building design, permaculture, micro- enterprise, mushroom cultivation, large scale composting and gardening, and regenerative hardwood forest management." —From The Farm’s Web Site

THE DIGGERS Haight-Ashbery gave birth to The Diggers, a counter- culture, anarchy-minded theater group in San Francisco in the late ‘60s. One of their products was this magazine, hand made and bound, and circulated to up to 300 other area communes on Kaliflower Thursdays. Kalifower’s intent was to extend the freedoms associated with flower children and the hippie movement to a broader audience. Its title reflects Kaliyuga, the Hindu name for the ultimate revolt against the morality of the vedas and suggests the flower that can grow out of that violence.

THE FAMILY A plot of woodland, 240 acres or rural Oregon, was chosen by Bob Carey, a one-time rider of Ken Kesey’s psychedelic bus, as the home of “The Family,” a religious back-to-nature commune established in Members, chiefly in their thirties or younger, came from such walks of life as computer programmer, welder, banker, and teacher. Most of the adults found their way to dropping out through dropping acid, but by the time of The Family’s foundation, they had turned to farming, meditating on Bible teachings, and fasting for mental cleansing. A hexagonal lodge served as common room, kitchen, and refectory. Individual families (group marriage “hadn’t worked out”) lived in tents or tepees. The creations of potters and leather- crafters provided some income but a two-acre garden was the main source of food. The commune’s credo: “Getting out of the cities isn’t hard, only concrete is. Get it together. This means on your own, all alone, or with a few of your friends. Buy land. Don’t rent. Money manifests. Trust. Plant a garden, create a center. Come together.”

Create your own utopia. Follow the instructions in the packet provided to create your own utopian society. You have today and tomorrow to work on your packet. Your project is due on Wednesday.