Preface to the Revised Edition
I am indebted to Rutger Bregman, author of ‘Utopia for Realists’, for bringing us a reminder of the story of Cockaigne, a medieval version of utopia. Access to Cockaigne required would-be Utopians to eat their way through three miles of rice pudding. It seems that the rice pudding journey was an ordeal to be endured rather than a first taste of pleasures to come. Learning of this, I wondered if those journeying to Cockaigne opened tunnels in the pudding through which others might follow. Or did the pudding simply close up behind them as they journeyed through? If so, how did they breathe, or even see their way to the next meal of pudding that would bring them closer to their goal? The perils of the journey seem to be numerous, even for those who, like me, have a particular fondness for rice pudding. But the prize was great! So I invite you to take up your spoon with me and plunge in. We have three miles to travel. Whatever your taste in puddings, it’s going to be sticky. But, as Rutger Bregman reminds us, we need our visions of Utopia so that we might face the future. The prize is indeed great as we set out on our own journey to a modern utopia. Let us eat pudding together!
There are only minor changes in this revised edition - correcting a few issues in the original text.