Utopian Consciousness: an Anthropological Universal and a Socio-Cultural Construct

The research is devoted to the status and role of utopian consciousness in society and culture. The author believes that the utopian component is inherent in any human goal-setting and design. A project is the result of dissatisfaction with the current reality; it carries within itself a desire for change, radical restructuring, but at first a person is dominated by desire and an as yet unformed image - both the goal and the path to its implementation. Therefore, the first phase of design is always utopian. In sociocultural design, this is the “image of paradise”, which only later develops into realistic plans and selection of funds, taking into account circumstances. However, the utopian component as an ideal remains an inspiring moment with a clear distinction between ideal and reality. Utopian consciousness acquires the features of an illusion when the ideal is transferred to specific actual space and time. Then people try to either “move” to Eden, or transport it to themselves, or quickly realize it, in a hurry and getting tired. In the first case, one’s own “project for the best” is abandoned; in the second, one tries to implement one’s own project without taking into account real possibilities. In both cases, disappointment follows due to the lack of realism. The study also analyzes utopian consciousness as a social construct created by influential social groups to realize their interests. This construct is spread through the media. The author believes that ideologies, including those produced by existing power, are always at the same time utopias for the masses. Two powerful modern utopias are briefly examined - globalist-technocratic and conservative-archaic, noting their unrealistic nature, leading to subsequent disappointments.