Some Call it Utopia The Origins, Doctrine and Implications of the World's Most Misunderstood Ideology

For some the quest for an idyllic life is more than a vision; it demands to be realized. Thomas Fair compares it to the monster in the film Forbidden Planet, arising in a perfect world created by intelligent beings; a destructive beast that is a product of their own hubris. Fair goes back to the French Revolution and its attempt to completely alter social structure and tradition. The Paris Commune and the writings of Marx and Engles pointed utopian thinking, by then known as Socialism, straight into the twentieth century. The horror of the Bolsheviks, the Nazis, and the Communist Chinese are well documented. Tens of millions died and countless others fell victim. Fair distills its main concepts, highlighting the testimony of victims as well as the assertions of perpetrators. Yet despite its failures, intellectuals and activists still clamor for the utopian fantasy, Fair insists that a just and equitable world is possible, when free, open trade and individual liberty protected by law are core elements. Passionate and exhaustively researched, Fair’s everyman approach offers important arguments needed to halt the elements of society that impose their own impossibly perfect world.

For nearly four decades, Thomas Fair worked in the electric power industry as a senior executive, including with three utilities and two independent power companies. Most of his career focused on project development related to conventional and renewable power generation and transmission facilities. In 1984-85, Fair served as Staff Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Water and Science at the U.S. Department of the Interior under a White House program known as the President’ s Executive Exchange. He holds a BS in Architecture, a Masters in Urban Planning and an MBA.

Introduction The Evolution of Utopian Ideologies The Origins and Spread of Socialism Socialist Doctrine, Methods, and Consequences Three Faces of Evil The Socialist Welfare State Socialism, Human Nature, and Spirituality True Believers Tenaciously Cling to Power Monster in Our Midst Conclusion