Utopia, Oughtopia, Edutopia and Peace

EDUCATION, 6 Oct 2025

Dr. Surya Nath Prasad – TRANSCEND Media Service

Human beings have been dreaming and thinking about impossible, unrealizable and realizable ideas since their existence. “Only those who can see the invisible can do the impossible,” was rightly said by Bernard Lown, President of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985. Frank Manuel having faith on man’s capacity pointed out, “the creature, it seems, could not stop dreaming even as he stood beneath the gallows of the atomic launching pad.” Hence perhaps Einstein said, “Imagination is better than knowledge. So, then Director-General of UNESCO Federico Mayor advised, “To increase the power of the imagination and strengthen human desire to go ever further, is to equip mankind to face reality and respond to the unexpected.” And their remarks and advices are true because all discoveries, inventions creations of new culture and civilizations are the results of imaginations of strong, determined and perpetually learning and transcending minds of the people.

It is right to say that the imagination is absent from scientific work, and scientist is merely supposed to lift the cover, which hides a pre-established truth, because imagination is a must in the work of scientists as well as in the work of creative persons, and both create on the basis of their imagination. French biologist François Jacob who (with André Lwoff and Jacques Monod) was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1965, also confirmed saying, “If you look at the process from the beginning, the education of the structure of the atom or of DNA is as much as discovery.”

Then President of Indian Republic Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, who is a distinguished scientist, has written in a poem, “Dreams float on an impatient wind Utopia is a dream. It is a plan for future realizable, unrealizable creations and ideals. The word Utopia was first used by Sir Thomas More. It was Imaginary Island, which he described in his Utopia written 1516. The Latin word ‘Utopia‘ was derived from the Greek words: ‘Outopos‘ (‘ou’ means ‘no’, ‘topos’ means ‘place’) means ‘no place’, and ‘eutopos‘ means ‘good place”. Thus Utopia was an imaginary ‘no place’, and it was also a ‘good place’.

Thomas More preferred to use the word ‘Utopia’ with a negative adverb “not”, which he deliberately stressed that the place he describes does not exist anywhere, never existed and will never exist. “Dystopia” is negative “Utopia”. Lewis Mumford observed, “Utopia merges into the dystopia of the twenty-first century.” However, Thomas More did not want to use the word “atopia“, which already existed in Greek. “Atopia” means something extraordinary, new, strange, extravagant or absurd. E. H. Carr in his writing Utopia and Reality writes, “The bankruptcy of atopianism resides not in its failure to live up to its principles, but in the exposure of its inability to provide any absolute and disinterested standard for the conduct of international affairs. The Utopian of today faced by the collapsed of standards whose interested character he has failed to penetrate, takes refuge in condemnation of a reality which refuses to conform to these standards.”

There are varieties of Utopias, viz. Confucius Utopia, Taoist Utopia of Lao Tzu, Spiritual Utopia, Ascetic Utopias, Rationalist Utopias, Hedonist Utopias, Mechanized Utopias, Agrarian Utopias, Egalitarian Utopias Hierarchical Utopias, Utopia of Animal and Machiavellian Utopia.

Some utopians have explored implications of an ecologically aware civilization Ecotopia is based on maintenance of a ‘stable state’ Communitas: Meanss of Livelihood and Ways of Life (1947) of Paul Goodman and Percival Goodman. The Dispossessed (1974) of Ursula Le Guin, and Ernest Callebach’s Ecotopia (1975) are ecological Utopias. Ecotopia of Ernest Callebach examines the dilemmas which would face a society which attempts to adopt a green of ecological aware ideology.

Utopias may be classified into two groups: dogmatic and libertarian Utopian writings for alternative ideal societies stressing order has inspiration from the City of the Sun of Campanella, and also emphasizing liberty have influenced by the Utopia of Thomas More. Karl Popper asserted that in the name of rationalism and idealism, those who dream of perfect societies, always became dogmatists once in power. In view of Cioran, most Utopias degenerate into tyranny and servitude. Thus mostly utopias are unrealizable, conditioned, static, averse to change and partial of whole truth.

A World renowned peace thinker Dr. Young Seek Choue of South Korea dreamed, thought and developed a very novel ideal and realizable concept i.e. Oughtopia. He has tied to create a new type of wholesome Global Common Society. Dr. Choue considers Plato’s Ideal States, Leibnitz’s The Best World, More’s Utopia, Kant’s Theological Kingdom, Confucius’s Great Cooperation Society, Mencius’s The Kingly Way, and Hsunpzu’s The Good World and many other Utopian schemes as utter failure due to inability to view the world holistically and multi-dimentionally. According to him, all utopians expressed partial views; hence their diagnoses did not work. He employs Chui-Saengsong to analyze the present and to forecast the future. “Unlike Utopia”, Dr. Choue says, “Oughtopia is the ideal, necessary society of ought-to-be (sollen). Herein lies the major difference between the two. Whereas the former aspired toward an unrealizable ideal society, the later combines both ideal and reality. It is not a land of dream and illusion, but a goal to realize a paradise on earth”. To realize Oughtopia – a society of ought-to-be is a Global Common Society of spiritually beautiful, materially affluent and humanly rewarding. Dr. Choue proposes to do four revolutions, viz. 1. Green Revolution to resolve the problem of food shortage: 2. Technological Revolution to buttress social welfare and security: 3. Revolution of Consciousness to promote re-humanization and to establish a durable world peace based on human-centrism, and 4. Revolution of Living to build a wholesome society, and to help people live a cultural life worthy of man.

However, utopias are future civilizations, and civilizations are realized Utopias. Civilizations of many generations including present civilization were produced by infinite labour of creative utopians, priests of learning and prophets of spirit of different nations. Their utopian ideas, principles, theories, laws, formulas, preaching and practices for which they were humiliated, killed are the real foundations of global civilization. Dr. Young Seek Choue has also written, “Human civilization is not a product of capricious chance, but the monumental achievement of those, who despite dark shadows cast over the world, tried to see the bright side of human life and worked ceaselessly to achieve something worthwhile. The heritage of human-civilization is a monument to the lofty ideals of man” (Oughtopia, 1981).

Sir Arthur Clarke told and warned, “The present civilization is nothing but the sum total of the dreams of our forefathers and so it must always be, for, if we stop dreaming our civilization will come to an end”. American theologian Paul Tillich viewed, “Without utopias to open up possibilities, the present it sterile and stagnant. …Without utopias, a culture… rapidly falls back into the past. The present is fully alive in the tensions between the past and the future.” Italian essayist Ignazio Silone declared, “A world without an utopian dimension would be claustrophobic and suffocating and would end in a stagnation worse than madness.”

Civilizations created by utopians have been misinterpreted and misused by the authorities for their own benefits. Some thinkers also considered the present civilization as exclusively masculine (Tagore, Personality, 1917), while civilization is neither masculine nor feminine, but it is common to both sexes in the sense of its benefits which should reach to all, and all should be provoked to imagine, to create new civilization. But common masses in all societies of the world along with half of the female population have been prevented by the ruling class to get benefit of civilization, and to take part in its new creation. Priests of different sects have been preaching and propagating values of their respective civilizations, not as they were created but in distorted form to suit the ruling class and to sustain their dogmas. Classroom teachers have been transmitting the principles of civilization as dictated by ruling class. Common masses have been following blindly the dictates of ruling class, which in many times have support of preaching class of different sects.

In fact, mostly rulers, heads of different sects, classroom teachers and common masses do not dare to dream. Hence their stereotype thinking and practices had made civilizations sick, violent, oppressive and intolerant. In this regard, one may refer to the following books and the relevant papers: Civilizations and its Discontents (1953) of Freud, The Sane Society (1956) of Erich Fromm, Sickness of Civilization (1964) of Radhakamal Mukerjee, Madness and Civilization (1965) of Michel Foucault, Madness in Society (1968) of George Rosen; “Social Conditioning of Mental Illness” (Sachitra Aurveda, Jan 1969), “Social Environment and Mental Diseases” (Social Welfare, June 1970), and “Mental Illness as Social Deviance” (Indian Journal of Social Research, August 1970) of Surya Nath Prasad.

In view of C.E.M. Joad (The Story of Civilization, 1975), there are very little civilization in the World and very few civilized peoples, while Arnold Toynbee in his book A Study of History (1933-1954) points to separate twenty-one civilizations in the known history of the world, each with its distinctive characteristics, but all sharing certain features or qualities which enable them to be distinguished as members of the same category. Samuel Huntington in his Clashes of Civilizations and Remaking World Order (1996) tells about nine civilizations. No doubt, we have a lot of civilizations in the world which can help the humanities in the development of prosperity and peace, but there are a few civilized people, because all are not thinking, dreaming and transcending people. Hence there are many clashes between and within civilizations. Certainly, a new among ruling class, different sects, classroom teachers and even among comes masses are perpetually dreaming, and they are utopians and creators of civilizations.

But all should dream, education is a must for all and in all whatever the political systems in different States of the World. Education would remove the ills in civilizations, lead to create more liberal, democratic, realizable, dynamic and global utopias. Due to education, utopians, creators, and executors of their ideas would be safe. And there would be a great change in their imagination because they would be able to realize in them- the man – the ideal man – the true global man.

Mostly utopians thought of an ideal perfect state of society. They never thought of an ideal man while they were also man. Certainly their approaches were to make man ideal but through ideal society. And hence, even good utopias like communistic, socialistic and democratic, all have failed to make either ideal society or ideal men and women. If their search would be to make people ideal man, their ideal society would also be realized. And for this also, education should be for all and in all.

Comenius had also similar wishes about the education of man, and he said, in The Great Didactic:

He gave no bad definition who said that man was a ‘teachable animal’. And indeed it is only by a proper education that he can become a man… The education I propose includes all that is proper for a man, and is one in which all men, who are born into this world should share…

 Our first wish is that all men should be educated fully to full humanity, not any one individual not a few nor even many, but all men together and singly, young and old, rich and poor, of high and lowly birth, men and women – in a word all whose fate it is to be born human beings; so that at last the whole of the human race may become educated, men of all ages, all conditions, both sexes and all notions.

Our second wish is that every men should be wholly educated, rightly formed not only in one single matter or in a few or even in many, but in all things which perfect human nature.

However, in the light of the definition given by Comenius, Robert M. Hutchins, the author of The Learning Society (1968), considers all educational systems of the past and present as seen to be to some extent inhuman, non-human and anti-human due to education being not available to all and in all.

Therefore, Immanuel Kant (Education, 1960) analyzing the difficulties involved in the societies advised concerning the education of children,

Children ought to be educated, not for the present, but for a possibly improved condition of man in the future; that is, in a manner which is adopted to the idea of humanity and the whole destiny of man…. Parents usually educate their children merely in such a manner that, however bad the world may be, they may adopt themselves to its present conditions. But they ought to give them an education so much better than this, that a better condition of things may thereby be brought about in the future. Here, however, we are met by two difficulties – (a) parents usually only care that their children make their way in the world, and (b) sovereigns look upon their subjects merely as tools for their own purposes…. Neither haves as their aim the universal good nor the perfection to which man is destined, and for which he has also a natural disposition. But the basis of a scheme of education must be cosmopolitan. And is, then, the idea of the universal good harmful to us as individuals? Never! For though it may appear that something must be sacrificed by this idea, an advance is also made towards what is best even for the individual under his present conditions. And then what glorious consequences follow!

In fact, seeds – physical vital, mental, intellectual and spiritual – in all men and women are omnipresent. And their integral manifestation throughout life is education. The horizon of education is limitless. Hence, education is also omnipresent. This lifelong perpetual integral education would be for deprived existing peoples in compensatory form and for innocent coming generation in original form.

However, lifelong integral education for all and in all seems a Utopia because it is yet nowhere available in practice. Canadian Utopian thinker Gilbert Leclerc (author of an article “Non-stop Learning” 1991) also thinks, “So by its very nature the concept of lifelong education would seem to be utopian.”

Education as a whole was important to Thomas More also. According to him, education made a man less inclined to evil. For him, educated people were more likely to be good. The purpose of his Utopia was to discover the root cause of injustice and poverty, and universal education as cure was suggested in it. In his Utopia, the topic of education passes Hythloday’s lips. More’s belief in education which he put in Utopia is obvious and plain. In his perfect Island, the denizens devote all excess time to study, appoint scholars of their most intelligent, and make certain their children all receive a sound education both male and female. Regarding education, Thomas More was entirely serious, putting his thought into practice with his own children and thereby, inspiring the aristocracy of the period.

In view of Jacques Delors, Chairman of the International Commission on Education for the Twenty-first Century, learning throughout life is the heartbeat of society. He considers education, which is based on four pillars, viz. learning to know, learning to do, learning to live together and learning to be as proposed by the Commission, is the necessary Utopia (Learning: The Treasure Within, 1996). But Federico Mayor, then Director-General of UNESCO added two more pillars of education: learning to undertake and learning to dare (1996). The author of these line Surya Nath Prasad also supplemented two more pillars of education: learning to share and learning to be just to make the roof of education stable (Prasad, 2003). Delors says that humankind sees in education an indispensable asset in attempts to attain the ideal of peace, freedom and social justice.

Thus only lifelong perpetual integral education, which can enable individual to be man, can lead to peace. Unless lifelong continuing integral education is facilitated for all and in all, man in them would not be a reality, but mantopia. Transcending man would be an ideal dream, and peace would also remain mere an ideal peacetopia. Lifelong enduring integral education is the basic edutopia until it is in practice. And peace which is the product of lifelong sustainable integral education, which enables all to be man, is peacetopia to make it a reality. Hence, “Peace is unlikely unless there are continuous, unlimited opportunities for learning and unless men continuously avail themselves of them,” Observes Robert M. Hutchins, the author of The Learning Society, 1968.

Taittiriyopanishad (in The Ten Principal Upanishads, 1937), which was created in Vedic age in India deals with the concept of man (who is made of five sheaths), education (which helps man to unfold these seeds through perpetual learning), and peace (which is the product of realization of the above two concepts) is still Edutopia to be realized.

In modern times, the word “Edutopia”, which is used by The George Lucas Foundation, establish in 1991, in Rafael, California, USA, is the vision of powerful teaching and learning. The foundation documents and disseminates information about exemplary programs in K-12 schools to help spread these practices nationwide. Edutopia conjures up an ideal educational landscape, where students are motivated to learn and teachers are energized by the excitement of teaching. The foundation uses the magazine Edutopia, its website and documentaries to celebrate the unsung heroes across their nation who are making “Edutopia” a reality. The foundation recognizes that for these innovations to spread, educators and parents, as well as business and community leaders, must first see and understand them.

Perhaps to realize the concept of lifelong education for all, in 1990s Republic of Korea developed and implemented the concept of an “Edutopia”, intended to create an open and lifelong learning society. The Presidential Commission on Education Reform, operated from 1994 to 1998, defined the goal of the Korean Education System in 21^st century as an “Edutopia”. Edutopia means “an education welfare state – a society of open and lifelong education to allow each and every individual equal and easy access to education at any time and place”. In 1997, the commission recommended the establishment of a virtual university, a national credit bank system and the use of advanced technologies in education as a possible means of realizing this Edutopia. (“Korea: Can Edutopia Become a Reality” by Insung Jung. TechKnowlogic, March-April 2000”).

Dr. Choue’s Oughtopia, which is the ideal and real society of spiritually beautiful, materially affluent and humanly rewarding, has also the concept of Edutopia. Though Dr. Choue did not use that word ‘edutopia’, its principles and their implementation can be seen in his dream of reality of Oughtopia. He considers man as man, neither God nor animal. He believes in man’s three universal innate wills, viz. a universal will to be good, a universal will to be right, and a universal will to be better. He says that because of these wills, man (whom he considers is made of body and spirit) can strive for perfection, creating something valuable and serving for human society. Hence he thinks, these universal wills must be stimulated and guided, mainly through education (Toward Oughtopia, 1983, by Young Seek Choue). For this, Dr. Choue, being a private person, established formal and informal agencies and organizations of education. Kyung Hee University System founded by him is a large chain of educational institutions with facilities from primary to higher education. The Graduate Institute of Peace Studies established by him is unique in the world in the sense all students admitted to this Institute receive full scholarships covering tuition, school fees, educational materials, and room and board, Global Common Society (GCS) International founded by him has been spreading it over 35 countries in the world having about 450 Chapters at home and abroad for perpetually making people aware to be good, right and better. In this sense of this edutopia and his many other social, economic and spiritual approaches have made his Oughtopia an excellent ideal and reality. Let the Oughtopia of Dr. Choue be a perpetual reality through his own concept of education of man i.e. edutopia of Dr. Choue based on his concept of human-centrism for sustainable development and peace for all.

A Global Call !

What do we call them who crucified Christ, poisoned to death to Socrates, burned John Huss at stake, burnt Bruno, thrown Plato into prison, forced Galileo to recant, and assassinated Mahatma Gandhi, and also those who are oppressing, exploiting and killing people? They may certainly be called ignorant in the words of Christ. Hence they needed education; they need education of, about and for man. For this, we require 100 years to grow man in view of Confucius. However, to execute the plan expeditiously to grow man hidden in all men and women, we must give rein of governance in the hands of creators, thinkers, true scientists, real saints and sages who are utopians of their ideals, and very much ready to translate them into reality to the benefit of all. They may plan, facilitate and execute better without any prejudice and discrimination including the policies of lifelong perpetual man-making education for all and in all i.e. universal peace education which would be core-curriculum in all formal educations and it would be beyond campus education also. If these creative utopians keep themselves aloof from the activities of their respective governments, they will be found to suffer along with the masses. Perhaps this would be the reason to Plato who warned centuries ago, “The penalty that good men pay for refusing to take part in government is to live under the government of bad men”. But now we may say that governments of all States must offer honorably the Oughtopian creative persons of their respective nations to join and take responsibilities in the governance; or such persons should contest the election, and all sections of the society: parents, teachers, preachers, and even persons of ruling class and bureaucracy should elect them; as the political situations in the state would be. No doubt, under the governance of these creative people, planning and execution of education of man for all and in all would create self-governed people being perpetually learning, creating and transcending. And this type of man-making universal peace education would create ideal men and women for sustainable development and peace to all. Certainly, universal peace education for all and in all is an Edutopia which must be realized to make Oughtopia – a society of ought-to-be a reality.

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The Paper is based on my Editorial written foe my Peace Education: An International Journal, Vol. 14, January-December 2006.

 Dr. Surya Nath Prasad, Former President, Executive Vice President & Secretary-General of the International Association of Educators for World Peace (IAEWP); associate professor of education emeritus, the Graduate Institute of Peace Studies, Kyung Hee University, Republic of Korea. Founder and editor-in-chief of Peace Education: An International Journal. dr_suryanathprasad@yahoo.co.in

This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 6 Oct 2025.

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