ERIC Number: EJ1210398
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018-Nov
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0309-8249
EISSN: N/A
Lessons from Dystopia: Critique, Hope and Political Education
Sypnowich, Christine
Journal of Philosophy of Education, v52 n4 p660-676 Nov 2018
This article analyses utopian and dystopian literature and its role in political education in order to make the case for imparting a 'utopian aspiration' that nurtures hope for the pursuit of political ideals. I note an 'anti-utopian' theme in both literature and political philosophy, a theme that emerges in a particularly fascinating pair of works in the dystopian canon, Orwell's "1984" and Zamyatin's "We." I argue that Zamyatin's story provides a more nuanced and valuable approach to the problem of political ideals and their potential for harm than the bleak message favoured by Orwell. Utopian and dystopian themes, I contend, can offer an invaluable orientation in political critique and practice if they nourish a utopian aspiration. The idea of hope for the new is a vital part of our political education, which is too easily dismissed by critics who purport to proffer more 'realistic' views.
Descriptors: Novels, Literature, Social Systems, Political Attitudes, Philosophy, Criticism, Psychological Patterns, Educational Philosophy, Role, Politics
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
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