Utopias, Collapse, and the Creative Imagination

Lewis Mumford in 1922 published an analysis of the literature of imagined ideal societies, from Plato to the modern era. Did any of them really give a clear solution to the human condition? As we shall see, Mumford was an astute observer, although his analysis is abruptly rendered sterile by his scientific-humanist perspective (still alive and well today). We will compare his conclusions to Neville’s view of Christianity, and see the implications for society.

The utopias
Mumford was a multi-disciplinary thinker. Interestingly, he clearly acknowledges the inner world, which he describes in terms almost identical to Neville`s concept of the human imagination.

He had a keen eye for architecture, the layout of topographies, structures and physical utilities, and how these interacted with many human requirements. He sees the whole thing as the interplay between the imagination and the world without.

Through his survey of utopias, we see that most of the idealistic solutions people have imagined over the centuries turn out to be collectivist in nature. Mumford rejects the Marxist analysis, which was prescient, as he could not yet know the horrors of 20th century collectivist societies. (In any case, he was busy responding to the horrors of WWI.)

Mumford`s study leads him to contemporary times. What has been the effect of the centuries of imaginative activity upon the modern built world? His own conclusions were that science and industry had obviously failed to create heaven on earth, while religious visions the world over, including a Christian-inspired social order that, in his estimation, was obsessed with the afterlife, had also failed.

Mumford`s modern world observation
Surveying the social landscape of his own time, his main observation was to identify a huge discrepancy between the realized outer world of drab, uniform, cheaply conceived construction and our true potential; i.e., the historically unparalleled technological capacity to build something truly extraordinary.

His comments that we build whatever is in concert with our inner conceptions – and so it is precisely the inner conceptions that are found wanting.

Mankind, facing an absolute paucity of worthwhile ideals, is at an impasse:

If this dissipation of Western Civilization is to cease, the first step to reconstruction is to make over our inner world... (The Story of the Utopias, p.154)

Check the podcast episode S02E09 to see Lewis Mumford`s answer to this conundrum, and how it compares to Neville`s conception of Christianity. You can check the audio or written transcript.