If Utopian ideas are not meant to be acted on, what other purposes do they serve?

Often, authors who write about utopian or dystopian
societies have the purpose of hoping that their reading audience will act. Otherwise the
hyperbole or exaggeration of their novels are null and void. They don't
matter.

I do not believe that each one of my students who
reads Brave New World or Fahrenheit 451
automatically goes out and acts upon the ideas developed throughout the story, but I do
believe they do two things:

1. They learn to critically
think about the world in which they live. Utopian and Dystopian novels make us think
about the qualities a good and strong society should have. They make us think about the
flaws too. It appears you are reading Lord of the Flies. Although
children would think a life without parents should be a blast, the kids quickly come to
find out (Ralph and Piggy in particular) that without mothers to nurture, fathers to
protect, and police to enforce the law, anarchy will soon take root. This lawlessness
resulted in many failures for the boys and it depressed and hurt them in more than one
way. We should be able to look at our own boundaries (governments, police, laws, family
structures, business ethics) and be thankful that at least some structure is in place
because without it, people could steal, kill, and
destroy.

2. They entertain through hyperbole. People like
TV shows that mock society and culture. It helps us laugh at ourselves and the common
mistakes we make. I enjoy watching a new TV show about a telephone center in India
because we have all dealt with a telemarketer over the phone who is stationed in another
country thinking that we were calling a US number. It is easy to get frustrated with the
communication barrier, but it is much easier to let the tension fade and laugh at
ourselves. Utopias and Dystopias make us look at our own current scenario and it seems
let stressful.

Hope that helps!