VISIONS OF UTOPIA Philosophy and the Perfect Society

Early in this series of lectures on political utopias Professor Baumann warns listeners that some of his interpretations are idiosyncratic, representing his own view rather than that of mainstream scholarship. While this does happen—Baumann is more certain than many thinkers that he can tell when philosophers like Plato are being ironic, or even humorous—that’s not what's likely to disrupt most listeners. Instead, it’s the structure of Baumann’s lectures. His knowledge of Plato, Thomas More, Skinner, and others is useful and detailed. He summarizes their ideal states and their contemporary implications well, but the actual lectures stop abruptly, even arbitrarily, at times. Also, Baumann lets himself go off on various tangents and parenthetical asides that may distract. G.T.B. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2008]