Privacy and Utopia: A History

The more we elevate and seek out privacy, the more it seems to diminish. Such is the paradox we have inherited. It is no coincidence that the word privacy was popularized in the 1890s as the West began its flirtation with centralization and top-down planning. The progressive pursuit of heaven on earth—of Utopia—arose from a desire to help the individual. But the individual would have to expose himself, to give up everything, in order to receive it. Following the career of utopian philosopher H. G. Wells, this intellectual history traces the story of the first people who realized they could change the world. From the rise of the welfare state and the birth of eugenics, to the development of pharmaceuticals and refinement of psychological manipulation, the story of the early twentieth century is best told alongside the genre it alone could produce: dystopia. Overview of Book: PRIVACY AND DECENTRALIZATION Chapter 1: Privacy Chapter 2: Decentralization Chapter 3: From Unknown To Ordered Chapter 4: H. G. Wells Prophet of Centralism Chapter 5: Joseph Conrad Decentered PRIVACY, UTOPIA, AND THE WELFARE STATE Chapter 6: The Welfare State Chapter 7: A Modern Utopia and the Birth of Dystopia Chapter 8: No Utopia on Earth A Conradian Response Chapter 9: Enter Dystopia BODY, MIND, PRIVACY Chapter 10: The Body Politic Chapter 11: Three Dystopias Chapter 12: Losing Control Conclusion View Less