Away from the ancestral home: utopia and philosophy in Bloch and beyond

Book chapter

Siebers, J. 2023. Away from the ancestral home: utopia and philosophy in Bloch and beyond. in: Shrank, C. and Withington, P. (ed.) The Oxford Handbook of Thomas More's Utopia Oxford, UK Oxford University Press (OUP). pp. 567-578
Chapter titleAway from the ancestral home: utopia and philosophy in Bloch and beyond
AuthorsSiebers, J.
Abstract

Ernst Bloch was credited by Adorno with having restored dignity to the idea of utopia in a century that saw modernity end in barbaric totalitarianism. In Bloch’s philosophy the sociopolitical origins of utopian thinking (Plato and especially More) form no more than the historically contingent starting point for an exploration of utopian motifs in all areas of human activity and even in the natural world. This chapter explores what happens to our conception of philosophy and philosophical method when we follow the expansive notion of utopia that animates Bloch’s work. The consequence is a radical reorientation in thought, which provides signposts for contemporary modes of thought that inherit and transform the cultural institution called ‘philosophy’. This chapter, therefore, is as much a study of the disruptive idea of utopia in modern philosophy as an exercise in utopian thinking.

KeywordsBloch; Utopia; Philosophy; Futurity; Method
Sustainable Development Goals16 Peace, justice and strong institutions
Middlesex University ThemeCreativity, Culture & Enterprise
Research GroupEnglish Language and Literature
Page range567-578
Book titleThe Oxford Handbook of Thomas More's Utopia
EditorsShrank, C. and Withington, P.
PublisherOxford University Press (OUP)
Place of publicationOxford, UK
ISBN
Hardcover9780198881018
Electronic9780191990502
Publication dates
Print18 Dec 2023
Online18 Dec 2023
Publication process dates
AcceptedJul 2023
Deposited03 Jan 2025
Output statusPublished
Accepted author manuscript
File Access Level
Restricted
Supplemental file
File Access Level
Restricted
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198881018.013.33
Related Output
Is part ofhttps://academic.oup.com/edited-volume/55364
LanguageEnglish
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