How the Year 2440 was Imagined in 1771

In 1771, French author Louis-Sébastien Mercier published the novel "The Year 2440: A Dream If Ever There Was One" Written from the perspective of an 18th century man who falls asleep and wakes up in Paris nearly 700 years later, the book is a fascinating example of utopian retro-futurism.

Mercier imagines a world transformed by philosophy and reason, with an agrarian society that has invented hologram-like technology. The video delves into Mercier's depictions of the future city of Paris, advancements in science and culture, changes in religion and education, and his ideas for an ideal government led by an egalitarian philosopher-king. Now centuries old, this work offers a fascinating glimpse into one of the earliest portrayals of the future in fiction.

→ MUSIC

The Carnival of the Animals - VII. Aquarium - Camille Saint-Saëns
By “Seattle Youth Symphony” (http://musopen.org/)

String Quartet No. 6 in B Flat Major, Op. 18, No. 6 - II. Adagio ma non troppo - Ludwig van Beethoven
By “Musopen String Quartet” (http://musopen.org/)

String Quartet No. 6 in B Flat Major, Op. 18, No. 6 - I. Allegro con brio - Ludwig van Beethoven
By “Musopen String Quartet” (http://musopen.org/)

Serenade No.9 in D major - V. Andatino - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
By “European Archive” (http://musopen.org/)

Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61 - II. Larghetto - Ludwig van Beethoven
By “US Marine Chamber Orchestra” (http://musopen.org/)

Requiem in D minor, K. 626 - III. Sequence - Lacrymosa - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
By “Papalin” (http://musopen.org/)

Requiem in D minor, K. 626 - I. Introitus and II. Kyrie - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
By “Papalin” (http://musopen.org/)

String Quartet No. 15 In D Minor, K 421 - II. Andante - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
By “Musopen String Quartet” (http://musopen.org/)

Adagio in C major, K. 356 - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
By “Bert Alink” (http://musopen.org/)

Lark - II. Adagio, Cantabile - Franz Joseph Haydn
By “Musopen String Quartet” (http://musopen.org/)

Beethoven - Concerto No.1 in C Major Op.15 - II. Largo - Ludwig van Beethoven By “European Archive” (http://musopen.org/)

Fantasia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 562 - Johann Sebastian Bach
By “Gosse Hulzinga” (http://musopen.org/)

Concerto for 2 Violins in G minor, GWV 334 - III. Soave - Christoph Graupner
By “Steve's Bedroom Band” (http://musopen.org/)

Trumpet Concerto in E flat major, Hob. VIIe 1 - Franz Joseph Haydn
By “Matt Dempsey” (http://musopen.org/)

Arminio, HWV 36 - Georg Friedrich Händel
By “The London Baroque Orchestra” (http://musopen.org/)

Larghetto, from Lute & Harp Concerto Op/6 - Georg Friedrich Händel
By “Unknown” (http://musopen.org/)

Видео How the Year 2440 was Imagined in 1771 канала Kings and Things