The New Atlantis, written by Francis Bacon in 1627, represents his vision of a utopia—a perfect society. Bacon imagined a community governed by scholars and scientists, who work together for the mutual benefit of all and the advancement of humanity.

Brave New World, a novel by Aldous Huxley published in 1932, depicts a dystopian society—a world where ideals are subverted by harsh realities. In this satirical portrayal of a futuristic world, citizens sacrifice much of their humanity for societal stability under a totalitarian regime.

"I Have a Dream," Martin Luther King's iconic 1963 speech, was delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., to a gathering of civil rights activists. King envisioned a society where individuals enjoy equal opportunities and are evaluated based on their character rather than their skin color.

"The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas," a 1973 story by Ursula K. Le Guin, describes a vaguely futuristic society where the community's well-being, from personal happiness to agricultural abundance, relies on the severe mistreatment of a single child. The citizens of Omelas believe that without this scapegoat, their society would collapse. The titular characters who leave Omelas do so because they cannot bear to derive their happiness from another's suffering, especially that of a child.

"The Vast Wasteland," a speech by Newton Minow in 1961, was delivered by the then-new Chair of the Federal Communications Commission. Minow criticized television for its poor quality programming, famously labeling it a "vast wasteland."

Utopia, authored by Thomas More in 1516, outlines an ideal society. This utopian vision is based on communitarian principles, promoting equality across social classes through Christian humanism and an economic system designed to boost productivity.

Animal Farm, a 1945 novel by George Orwell, serves as a dystopian satire of a purportedly egalitarian society. It exposes the flaws in the ideal of equality and the challenges of implementing it in reality. The novel particularly targets totalitarian regimes masquerading as egalitarian, notably Stalin's rule in the USSR.

1984, another novel by George Orwell published in 1949, offers a dystopian critique of totalitarian government. In this society, human emotions like love are forbidden, and privacy is nonexistent as "Big Brother" constantly monitors through omnipresent cameras and screens. The government also manipulates truth via "Newspeak."

The Republic, written by Plato around 380 B.C., presents an early vision of an ideal political society. This literary utopia describes a select elite who govern the populace and rely on slave labor to maintain their control.

"Resistance to Civil Government" (also known as "Civil Disobedience"), an 1849 essay by Henry David Thoreau, argues that citizens must disobey unjust laws to effect change. Thoreau posits that a single individual can represent a "majority of one" if they are morally right, emphasizing that laws should be judged by their morality, not their practicality.