Chrysler 2009 Annual Report Download - page 369

UTOPIA
“Utopia” – a term coined by the English philosopher
Thomas More from the Greek words οὐ-τοπος
(“place that does not exist”) and εὖ-τοπος (“place
of happiness”) – denotes an ideal world: a perfect
society, a community of individuals who live together
happily and in harmony. To describe something as
utopian often means to regard it as irrational, whereas
actually it is a valuable opportunity to reflect on the
nature of the real world, through a representation
of the imaginary world, and to take on the task of
converting dreams into action.
Utopia therefore has the dual function of suggesting
a clean break from the status quo and proposing
an ideal model. Rather than simple progress, it is a
radical leap forward.
Against a background of great uncertainty, profound
social change, and economic slowdown, utopia can
be seen as a “memory of the future” (as Lamartine
used to say: “Utopias are often only premature
truths.”) It is no accident that the men quoted in Fiat
Group publications teach us how in art, philosophy,
science and society, the search for innovative
solutions and new ways of thinking and moving
forward enables us to face the future with courage
and determination – with the aim of making a mark
on it rather than submitting to it. The list of utopians
in history would be too long to convey any idea of
the vitality of utopian thought. Let us therefore settle
for just a few, and observe how what were once
utopian concepts – such as cinema, the internet, or
environmentalism – have become an integral part of
our everyday lives.
Artists, painters and poets love utopia because it is
highly seductive, attractive and powerful. Utopia is
a positive, overwhelming Weltanschauung, where
anything is possible. It is freedom of thought… as well
as a duty to the future.
Let us travel to a place where the purpose of life is to
make possible what may today seem impossible. The
time has come to define a future that frees us from
the worries of today and the constraints of yesterday.
Utopia is an ambition. It calls upon us to realise our
ambitions for the future and, in the final analysis, it
drives us to create a better world.
Roger Pfund, Geneva, 2010