Editing Technological utopianism (section)

{{distinguish|Techno-progressivism|Techno-populism}}
{{short description|Any ideology based on the premise that advances in technology could bring a utopia}}
[[File:JPL Visions of the Future, Mars.jpg|thumb|A [[NASA]] poster about a fictional Mars tour. Technological advances in [[Human spaceflight|space travel]] is often a theme in utopias.]]
{{Utopia}}
'''Technological utopianism''' (often called '''techno-utopianism''' or '''technoutopianism''') is any [[ideology]] based on the premise that advances in science and technology could and should bring about a [[utopia]], or at least help to fulfill one or another utopian ideal.

A '''techno-utopia''' is therefore an ideal [[society]], in which laws, government, and social conditions are solely operating for the benefit and well-being of all its citizens, set in the near- or far-[[future]], as advanced science and technology will allow these ideal living standards to exist; for example, [[post-scarcity]], [[Trans-human|transformations in human nature]], the avoidance or prevention of suffering and even the [[immortality|end of death]]. 

Technological utopianism is often connected with other discourses presenting technologies as agents of social and cultural change, such as [[technological determinism]] or [[Imaginary (sociology)#Media imaginary|media imaginaries]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Natale|first1=Simone|last2=Balbi|first2=Gabriele|date=2014-04-03|title=Media and the Imaginary in History|journal=Media History|volume=20|issue=2|pages=203–218|doi=10.1080/13688804.2014.898904|s2cid=55924672|issn=1368-8804|url=https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/2134/19467|hdl=2318/1769720|hdl-access=free}}</ref>

A tech-utopia does not disregard any problems that technology may cause,<ref>[[Segal, Howard P.]] Imagining Tomorrow: History, Technology and The American Future, "The Technological Utopians", Cambridge: MIT Press, 1986.</ref> but strongly believes that technology allows mankind to make social, economic, political, and cultural advancements.<ref>Rushkoff, Douglas. EME: Explorations in Media Ecology, "Renaissance Now! Media Ecology and the New Global Narrative". Hampton Press, 2002, p. 41-57.</ref> Overall, Technological Utopianism views technology's impacts as extremely positive.

In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, several ideologies and movements, such as the [[cyberdelic]] counterculture, the [[Californian Ideology]], [[cyber-utopianism]], [[transhumanism]],<ref name="Hughes 2003">{{cite journal |author=Hughes |first=James |author-link=James Hughes (sociologist) |year=2003 |title=Rediscovering Utopia |url=http://archives.betterhumans.com/Columns/Column/tabid/79/Column/232/Default.aspx |journal=Counterfutures |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927204653/http://archives.betterhumans.com/Columns/Column/tabid/79/Column/232/Default.aspx |archive-date=2007-09-27 |access-date=2007-02-07}}</ref> and [[singularitarianism]], have emerged promoting a form of techno-utopia as a reachable goal. The movement known as [[effective accelerationism]] (e/acc) even advocates for "progress at all costs".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chowdhury |first=Hasan |title=Get the lowdown on 'e/acc' – Silicon Valley's favorite obscure theory about progress at all costs, which has been embraced by Marc Andreessen |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/silicon-valley-tech-leaders-accelerationism-eacc-twitter-profiles-2023-7 |access-date=2023-11-20 |website=Business Insider}}</ref> Cultural critic [[Imre Szeman]] argues technological utopianism is an irrational [[metanarrative|social narrative]] because there is no evidence to support it. He concludes that it shows the extent to which [[Modernity|modern]] societies place faith in [[Idea of Progress|narratives of progress and technology]] overcoming things, despite all evidence to the contrary.<ref name="sciencedaily.com">{{Cite news |title=People Generally Do Not Act on Information on the Effects of Oil on the Environment |date=May 28, 2010 |access-date=17 Nov 2010 |url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100528150833.htm |work=ScienceDaily}}</ref>