First there are utopias

So, enticed, intrigued, the reader uncovers this next sentence. The first word he comes onto is, coincidentally, the word “first” itself. This connotes a step-by-step explanation, similar to a recipe; the reader is now aware that he will soon find out the definition of “heterotopia.”

However, “first” also has a time element. This establishes the relative unimportance of utopias to Foucault’s argument about heterotopias. Utopias, despite being crucial to understanding heterotopias (because understanding the utopia is the “first” step towards understanding heterotopias) are primitive, elementary, and outdated compared to the concept of the heterotopia. Already, then, Foucault has established the progressiveness of his thinking, the cutting edge of his brilliance.

Like I said, I enjoy humor.

First there are utopias: Plato, the “first” great philosopher who managed to write things down, wrote the original utopia. Plato’s Republic is so influential and engrossing that some guy said some really good things about it once. Since it is the basis for almost all Western philosophical thought, the Republic is a decent jumping off point for Foucault.