Hölderlin said, “What always turns a country into a hell on earth is precisely what people try to turn it into a paradise.” Throughout human history, although the ideal of “world harmony” has never truly been realized, the yearning for utopia is deeply rooted, especially after the Enlightenment, when humanity became highly confident in its rational abilities, leading to many thoughts and ideologies aimed at building utopias. In the twentieth century, some utopian ideas were put to the test; when humanity passionately and fervently put these ideas into practice, believing they had created a paradise on earth, they suddenly found themselves in hell when the doors of the new society closed behind them.
Why can humanity not build a paradise on earth free from suffering and oppression, but can only accept an imperfect society? A British newspaper during World War I invited scholars and writers to contribute under the title “What is the root cause of the world’s problems?” A writer named Chesterton replied with just two words: “In me.” Many problems in human society stem not from external sources, but from the depths of human nature. External problems can be resolved through revolution, but as long as the human heart does not change, new problems will always arise, often more terrifying than the old ones. If one seeks to transform human nature, the most dreadful problems will inevitably emerge.
"Animal Farm" is one of the famous dystopian trilogies, revealing the absurd nature of humanity's ideal of building a utopia through an animal fable. This book is undoubtedly an effective antidote to the toxic ideas of political utopianism, helping to cultivate a dark awareness of human nature.
History proves that utopian ideas have an almost irresistible allure for people; only a profound insight into human nature can allow one to remain sober like Benjamin the donkey in the story while everyone else is intoxicated.
Socrates deeply realized the limitations of human reason, stating that the greatest wisdom humanity can attain is to fully recognize its own ignorance, known as the knowledge of ignorance. Similarly, a profound awareness of the darkness of human nature allows one to calmly accept a society that is inevitably flawed, while placing expectations of perfection in that transcendent world beyond this existence.