Today I have been learning about Utopia, which was a book published in 1516 about an imagined society by the political philosopher, Thomas More. He covers a few things that I find especially interesting since it’s been my contention for a while now that all troubled youth need to be taken out to the country and put to work using their hands. Maybe all youth, for that matter, who are between the ages of 18 and 20, just to get them clearer about what’s important and what’s not.
Imagine my surprise when I discovered that More’s idea for his Utopian society involves all people (with the exception of a few scholars) splitting their time between the city and the country, and that all should do physical labor when they are in the country. Growing food is a venerated occupation, as it surely should be, and a sense of community is one of the most valued aspects of life. The work force is so large that there is time for lots of leisure time activities, one of the favorites being the public lectures conducted early every morning by scholars.
Of course, there are aspects of More’s Utopia that would make the average American squirm, such as the biggie: no private ownership of property. As More’s main character Raphael states, “Private wealth not only corrupts the individuals, it vitiates the entire social system by introducing a spurious standard. Social influence becomes dependent on the possession of barren metal and the trappings of wealth disguise a poverty of talent.” We can certainly see this in the United States today, no question about it. However, many of us saw first-hand the problems with Communism and are aware that while all should be equal in an idealized society, this is harder to achieve in real life. Still, this begs the question: what would actually work in a society that was “perfect” for all?
More borrowed aspects of Plato’s philosophy and also that of Socrates. He also factored in his reaction to Europe and Britain when he was constructing his perfect society. Interestingly enough, there are several glaringly imperfect aspects, which include the inclusion of slavery, the lack of chivalry in war and the superior attitude of the Utopians regarding other non-Utopian nations. I suppose the answer to this is we humans –including More – are imperfect even when we strive to create the perfect world.
I have enjoyed learning about More’s Utopia. That is a good thing since I am due to learn much more before it is over. There is that 20 page research paper that I’ll be helping with which looms in the near future. I may know a lot more about Thomas More’s Utopia before I’m done. No doubt about it, I will know a lot more before I’m done. Ah, the joys of rounding out my rather limited – and distant – undergraduate education!
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