Salon Series

Freedom in Utopia!
Freedom in Utopia!
Series details
Discussion, debate, and deliberation about how free we'd be in the best possible society. A new online series by political philosopher Dr. Rebecca Lowe. Utopian thinkers are often criticised as naive dreamers. But if we tightly define Utopia as ‘the best possible society’, then this gives us the opportunity to imagine and learn from a morally optimal society that may never exist, but could and should. Are there prisons in Utopia? Is there private property? Who’s in charge? Can the Utopians say and wear what they want? What else can we learn from this Utopian thought experiment? What might it tell us about how freedom interrelates with other values? And about ourselves, and how we live our lives? 'Freedom in Utopia' — the book political philosopher Rebecca Lowe is currently writing — offers a new approach to answering the classic question: how free should we be, when we live together as members of a political society? In a series of salons, we will explore this topic together, chapter by chapter. Rebecca will open each salon by sharing her thoughts so far, followed by Q&A and discussion, and then the final 30 minutes of each session will involve group deliberation about a classic, freedom-focused, philosophy paper.
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Philosophy
Politics
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Apr 09, 2025 21:00 CET
Are There Prisons in Utopia?
If you lived in the best possible society, would you be free to do bad things to other people? If so, what kinds of societal mechanism would be in place to address crime? Is there a role for prisons in Utopia, and if so, what do Utopian prisons look like?
May 14, 2025 21:00 CET
Is There Private Property in Utopia?
Many classic depictions of Utopia assume a lack of private property. But what would the Utopians miss out on, if they had no private property? How is Utopia's economy organised, at the basic level of acquiring, using, and transferring goods?
Jun 11, 2025 21:00 CET
Can You Say and Wear What You Want in Utopia?
In Thomas More's Utopia, the Utopians all wear the same clothes. What might this tell us about the relationship between freedom and the good, in Utopian thinking? If you lived in the best possible society, how free would you be to make your own choices about expressing yourself through clothing choice and language?
Jul 09, 2025 21:00 CET
What Do People Do for Fun in Utopia?
Can we know what music the Utopians would listen to, or whether they are taxed to ensure societal access to certain cultural goods? How might the culture of Utopia change over time? If you lived in the best possible society, what kind of views and attitudes might you hold?
Aug 13, 2025 21:00 CET
Does Utopia’s Economy Grow?
How much detail can we know about the ways in which Utopia's economy is ordered? Does it make sense to think about Utopia's economy growing? If you lived in the best possible society, what economic opportunities would you expect?