

#4151
Mentioned in 7 episodes
Looking Backward
2000-1887
Book • 1888
In 'Looking Backward: 2000-1887', Edward Bellamy presents a vision of a future socialist utopia through the eyes of Julian West, a young Bostonian who falls into a hypnotic sleep in 1887 and awakens in the year 2000.
The novel describes a society where industry is nationally owned, goods are distributed equally, and there is no need for money, police, military, or lawyers.
Bellamy's vision includes advanced technologies such as radio, television, motion pictures, and credit cards.
The novel is a critical examination of 19th-century capitalism and advocates for a society based on equality, cooperation, and the brotherhood of man.
The novel describes a society where industry is nationally owned, goods are distributed equally, and there is no need for money, police, military, or lawyers.
Bellamy's vision includes advanced technologies such as radio, television, motion pictures, and credit cards.
The novel is a critical examination of 19th-century capitalism and advocates for a society based on equality, cooperation, and the brotherhood of man.
Mentioned by

















Mentioned in 7 episodes
Mentioned by 

, as a novel that could have been written by John D. Rockefeller or the utopian socialists.


Richard White

131 snips
Plain History: How the Transcontinental Railroads Built the Modern World
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as a highly influential 19th-century science fiction novel.


Jonah Goldberg

25 snips
Islands of Separateness
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as an inspiration for the architecture of the Bradbury Building.

Jess Deaver

17 snips
Blueprints for Utopias
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alongside B.F. Skinner's "Walden Two", both inspiring communities attempting to realize their utopian visions.


Nick Gillespie

12 snips
How Elon Musk and DOGE Can Deliver on Smaller Government
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and Jason Amos as a bestselling utopian novel of the 1800s that inspired political movements and architectural designs.

Amanda McGowan

Edward Bellamy's Real-World Utopia
Mentioned as a best-selling book that inspired a social movement and national conversation about the future.

The History of the Future
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as a sci-fi novel portraying a music room where music is transported seamlessly.

Julia Hava

Regime of Convenience
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regarding its futuristic predictions, including a telephone in every bedchamber.

Christina Panos

Ep 333: Nightmare Whiffletrees, 18650 Safety, and a Telephone Twofer
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in the context of time capsule ideas in fiction.

Nick Yablon

Nick Yablon, "Remembrance of Things Present: The Invention of the Time Capsule" (U Chicago Press, 2019)
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, this book highlights technological progress built into the American mythos.

David Patrick Herry

s07e73 | The Orthodox Option, with David Patrick Harry
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when comparing Wells's "The Time Machine" to other time travel stories.


Simon James

The Time Machine
Mentioned by 

as the inventor of the Pledge of Allegiance.


Tom Myers

The Making of the Pledge of Allegiance
Mentioned by Peter Seifert as an inspiring literary utopia that was widely read by workers.

Inside Europe 19 June 2025
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when discussing cultural models that shaped ideas about old age.

Al Zambone

Episode 385: Golden Years
Mentioned as part of William Gaddis's "Literature of Failure" reading list.

A Fan's Notes by Frederick Exley (Book Review)