The Houyhnhnms relfect, albeit exaggerated, an idealized society. They are goverened wholly by reason, which would reflect the Enlightenment, a time where empirical science took hold, and “reason” became  questioned the power of the state and church. Exaggerating this, reason is the only way the Houyhnhnms think, allowing their society to be “peaceful” and generally conflict free. This sounds wonderful, however, they also lack the idea of “opinion”. Every member of the houyhnhnms subscribes to the ideals of their society, making them all kind of robotic. They lack individuality and public debate. Their society, because of the rules and traditions will continue to “thrive” however because of the lack of debate or opinion, it will remain static and not evolve – something societies should be able to do.

Further adding the dystopia argument is their stance on the Yahoos. They’ve enslaved the Yahoos, using them much like the slaves in Oronooko (minus all the beatings and executions). Then they contemplate genocide – wiping out the Yahoos because they are “disagreeable” creatures. Clearly, this is not a society that would be seen as the utopia the Gulliver implies it to be.