Excerpt from Looking Forward, and an Answer to Looking Backward
The imperfect nature of man characterizes, as a matter of course, all human institutions and it is t easiest thing in the world, by looking backward, find fault with living men as well as with the pres state of affairs and to build air castles inhabited angels only.
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So this is a rebuttal sequel to Looking Backwards. I really wasn't sure what if any holes you could poke in the utopian society of Looking Backwards. I felt the main flaw of that one was trying to implement it rather than its actual functions once it was up and running, boy was i wrong :) .
There are a number of issues with this though, it uses the old, everyone should be content with their lot nonsense at the end. He seems to be arguing poor people are just lazy, in some parts. The previous work was not particularly advanced in gender politics but even the small advances it did make are blasted by this ass.
However all these flaws are minor. The main take-down of both Bellamys novel in the specific and communistic systems in general is absolutely brutal and extremely effective :) .
Also of course this was written in 1890 but all of the problems he points out with communism as a political system are exactly the ones which happened when it was implemented for real. Really intersting stuff, i'm now looking forward (pun unintended) to reading the rebuttal of this rebuttal in Looking Beyond :) .