Prospects for Utopia in Space

Abstract

In this essay, I discuss three models of utopia—the teleological, discursive, and horizonal—and query how they might apply to the subject of founding a utopia in space. Of these, the horizonal model championed by Ernst Bloch proves to have the greatest potential for theoretical suitability, in that the limitlessness of outer space makes it an ideal object and outlet for the limitlessness of human desire. I employ Frederick Turner’s “Frontier Thesis” (1893) as an early example of horizonal utopian theory, and describe how ‘frontierism’ recommends an ongoing engagement with challenging environments in order to exercise and thus preserve human virtue. Contrarily, I warn of the dangers of ‘consolidationism’ —the acceptance of this planet as the sole desirable habitat for human life—and point out Immanuel Kant’s “To Perpetual Peace” (1795) as being the best, but still deeply flawed, exemplar of this philosophy. I end by supporting the frontierist claim that investigating the horizonal-utopian potential of outer space is key to spurring on cultural development on Earth.