Why is utopianism so popular?

Question

Rather:

Why do people (especially anarchists) focus so much on an idealized vision of society (these visions varying wildly from person to person) but not spend as much or more time trying to elaborate strategies for how to get there?

Comments

i disagree with your premise--or at least it is not true of most of the anarchists i have spent time around, or heard about.

there are far more people focusing on unions, platforms, insurrection, activism, organizing, etc, than there are talking about how things are going to work (or not) ATR.

Answer 1

Most people have absolutely no idea what vision of society Anarchists are trying to work towards, so it frequently needs to be explained.

Answer 2

There is no sense in putting the cart before the horse. How do you suppose that we "get there" without any idea of what "there" is?

However, I do agree with the sentiment that focusing on what we are able to do here and now, with what we have here and now, to actualize our goals (although, once again, to work towards a goal, one must have an idea of what that goal is) and desires would be more constructive than focusing on what we might possibly be able to do at some unknown point in the future.

Answer 3

1) Because dreaming about heaven is much easier than slogging through myriad difficulties to bring it about

and

2) Because even though many anarchists will claim that workers, artisans, et al are brainwashed or nurtured or manipulated into submission; the truth is that many people seem to want a corporate, capitalist, government, deity daddy. So it's near impossible to put a dent in the opinion of such a majority.

Thus social/political/dogmatic anarchists are relegated to theoretical discussions on internet forums (irony!). And unless these two situations change, an anarchist society will remain an unrealized ideal in my opinion.