The Dispossessed
An Ambiguous Utopia
by Ursula K. Le Guin · first published 1974
67% recommend29% neutral5% critical
Why HN recommends it
Science fiction that shows how an anarchist society might actually work, following a physicist between a poor anarchist world and a capitalist one. Suits readers curious about politics and social change.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Shevek, a brilliant physicist, decides to take action. He will seek answers, question the unquestionable, and attempt to tear down the walls of hatred that have isolated his planet of anarchists from the rest of the civilized universe. To do this dangerous task will mean giving up his family and possibly his life. Shevek must make the unprecedented journey to the planet, Anarres, to challenge the complex structures of life and living, and ignite the fires of change.
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The Dispossessed, by Ursula K. Le Guin. It identified so many of the "edges" of society and how I think about and interact with the world, on a daily basis. Without a doubt one of the best books I've ever read. Maybe…
on “Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?” ↗I recently read The Dispossessed and The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin, and will continue reading her stuff over the summer for sure. It's really great. (HN discussion about her obituary: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16218439)…
on “Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?” ↗…and many of his short stories (well-collected in The Best of Gene Wolfe). The other two are the first half of the "Book of the Long Sun" series that I'm still reading through. Ursula K. Le Guin, The Dispossessed. Superb political SF about an imagined anarchist [anti-]utopia. A serious attempt to describe a human society with no central power structures and no ownership. The hero is a physicist born and raised…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?” ↗…social issues, Ursula Le Guin wrote several novels that combine sci-fi with social and political philosophy in a package that feels somewhat non-fiction-y. My favorite are The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed. Meanwhile, a more recent novel of hers, Lavinia, is a fascinating reinterpretation of ancient Roman epic fantasy. Margaret Atwood is another author who doesn't get mentioned a lot around here but whose…
on “Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction” ↗The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin “A child free from the guilt of ownership and the burden of economic competition will grow up with the will to do what needs doing and the capacity for joy in doing it. It is useless…
on “Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?” ↗The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin. Surprised at the amount of wisdom about life succinctly communicated on so many of the pages. Recommended. Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino. Frankenstein: The 1818 Text by Mary…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?” ↗Don Quixote de la Mancha - M. de Cervantes Saavedra A hundred years of Solitude - G. G. Márquez Foucault's Pendulum - U. Eco Cryptonomicon - N. Stephenson The Dispossessed - U. K. Le Guin
on “Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?” ↗The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia by Ursula K. Le Guin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dispossessed
on “Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?” ↗Sci-fi seems to mean 'anything that looks vaguely technical in a story'. SF, especially, hard SF, has always tackled grown up questions. Here are a few I have recently re-read: The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin, Saturn's Children by Charles Stross, Engines Of Light by Ken McLeod, 2001 by Arthur C. Clarke, Robots of Dawn, etc. by Isaac Asimov.
on “Adults' obsession with science fiction causing society to become infantilised” ↗For those who want to see such a mental experiment to be visualized for convenience, read these two books: "The Dispossessed" by Ursula K. Le Guin "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" by Robert A. Heinlein These two give two radically different, perspectives of what such a society, with implicit rules and norms basically enforced…
on “No Treason: The Constitution of No Authority (1870)” ↗The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin Narcissus and Goldmund by Hermann Hesse The Lord of The Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
on “Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?” ↗The Dispossessed - Ursula K. Le Guin Harry Potter - JK Rowling (re-read it all when the last book came out)
on “Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?” ↗Anyone who want's an good read which features anarchism, I'd recommend "The Dispossessed" by Ursula Le Guin. It's an incredible story in it's own right, and has a very complete description of how a completely anarchist society might function.
on “Are you an anarchist? The answer may surprise you (2000)” ↗Yes, the Foundation series is short and great, but only the original. I think the later additions were a let down. The Dispossessed, by Ursula Le Guin, if you like to explore different social systems and its implications. Great, but might not be everyone's taste. The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, obviously, which is half dry…
on “Neal Stephenson – Announcing Termination Shock” ↗One example is the most classic solarpunk novel, the Dispossessed by Ursula Le Guin. It deals with the tension between a capitalist society (not really cyberpunk) and a anarcho socialist outer planet colony on the corresponding moon. It doesn't paint the alternative…
on “A Solarpunk Manifesto” ↗