Utopia Research Paper

A utopia is a place of ideal perfection. However, according to the Merriam-Webster, it is also an impractical scheme for social improvement. Though dating back to the earliest days of U.S. history, utopian communities became a part of American thought by the 1840s. Various groups that were struggling because of urbanization and industrialization, challenged the traditional norms of American society with a desire to create a world without capitalism, immigration, and the tension between communities. However, these attempts failed due to individualism, materialism, the lack of growth, and little balance.

The word utopia originates from Sir Thomas More’s novel of the same name, Utopia. Sir Thomas More created the term as an intentional homophone of the word “eutopia”, which is a Greek word meaning “good place”. (Sterling, 2015) “Utopia”, on the other hand, means “no place”, which implies either an impossibility of existence or the results of attempting to bring about such existence. The reasons why a utopia is so destructive to societies are that each person has their own vision of perfection and it is impossible to make everyone agree; if everyone made their own utopias there would be conflict between their objectives. Also, human nature is flawed and cannot accommodate perfection.

The desire to explore the unknown has been a driving force in human history since the dawn of time. From the earliest documented accounts, ancient civilizations have explored the world around them. Early adventures were motivated by religious beliefs, a desire for conquest, the need for trade, and an unsatisfying hunger for gold. The great Age of Exploration, beginning in the late 1400s, was an important era in the discovery and development of lands yet unknown to the Europeans. During this period, Europe sought new sea routes to Asia in pursuit of economic gain, increased glory, and opportunities to spread Christianity. Although these were motivations for explorers, the impact from the discoveries resulted in significant changes and

A person’s perception of Utopia varies depending on their life experiences and what they hope to expect of the society in which they live. It's an ideal place where equality, serenity, protection, and freedom are essential qualities.

In the words of David Arnold, gold, jewels, silks, carpets, spices, and porcelain suggested luxury, wealth, skilled artisans and thriving craft industries, and it was this image of Africa and Asia’s riches that helped inspire the first European voyages of discovery (Arnold 11). Europe could essentially see the wealth of the countries that manufactured the goods that Europe received and wanted the same wealth

The concept of utopia is one which has many differing connotations and is therefore also one which cannot be confined to one interpretation alone. The term is commonly used to represent a community or society that, in theory, possesses highly desirable or near-‘perfect’ qualities; however, these encompassing ideals, which arguably place emphasis on egalitarian principles of equality, are implemented in a number of ways and are subsequently based on varying ideologies, thus insisting on varying views of morality. The word itself, which was first coined by Sir Thomas More in the early sixteenth century and used to describe a fictional island society in the Atlantic Ocean, was taken from the Greek οὐ (‘not’) and τόπος (‘place’), literally translating

A utopia is an imagined or fantasied place that is flawless. The expectation for a utopia is to be perfect. Everyone has their own perfect imagined place that they want to live in. The truth is, not every utopia is perfect. Many utopias have dangers, bad people, and a lot of the time people don’t agree with the utopia.

Each person has their own vision of utopia. Utopia means an ideal state, a paradise, a land of enchantment. It has been a central part of the history of ideas in Western Civilization. Philosophers and writers continue to imagine and conceive plans for an ideal state even today. They use models of ideal government to express their ideas on contemporary issues and political conditions. Man has never of comparing the real and ideal, actuality and dream, and the stark facts of human condition and hypothetical versions of optimum life and government.

During the 15th through 16th centuries, The Portuguese and Spanish explorers were very attracted to valuable resources, new land, and trade routes. These motives encouraged them to seek out new explorations and search for items that would benefit their home countries. Common resources that both the Spanish and Portuguese sought out included silks, porcelain, spices, persian horses, silver, and gold (Chasteen, 2001). Although the Portuguese and Spanish explored and sought out new land for many of the same reasons, they also had some different causes for exploration which were often very specific to the needs and goals of Portugal and Spain.

In our lives today, we take advantage of all the luxuries that are presented daily. Freedom alone is one of the greatest luxuries we possess as an American nation. In Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs and Utopia by Thomas Moore, we are presented two life styles, which some might consider very similar in various ways. Both authors focus on a peaceful living lifestyle, to better the people of the nation. Although some of their specific details are different, I believe that Jacobs would definitely approve of the features that More develops in Utopia.

A utopia is modeled on or aiming for a state in which everything is perfect; idealistic. If a utopian society were to exist, everyone would want to leave, humankind likes to make their own decisions, and dislikes following one another. Everyone should have their own way of living. The world is filled with careless people and if we had a substandard ruler than that person will make deficient decisions that will destroy our lives. Therefore,

     The Age of Exploration was a time of struggle and wealth for many European countries. The pursuit of a trade route to the Far East led many countries across the ocean, looking for the great spice cities that were rumored by Marco Polo. These countries knew that whoever found the shortest or best route would become rich, very quickly. Explorers from many European countries embarked on journeys that not even they had any clue where they were going. This search for the Far East led to many discoveries that would otherwise have never been found.

At the beginning of the 15th century was when the Age of Exploration or Age of Discovery commenced, and carried on until the 17th century. During this period of time Europeans began to travel the world in their ships looking for people to trade with, new routes for trading, and goods. Moreover, not all explorers had the same mission. Some explorers just had this craving of wanting to learn more about the world. Therefore, in order for the explorers to go explore they needed ships, supplies, and crew, which cost a lot of money. They had to depend on the governments funding’s, who had different plans for them. A lot of the nations were in search of gold and silver, but the main reason for traveling was to find different routes for silk and spice

When I think of the word “Utopia” I think of a perfect world where everything is fair and equal for every single person. In education, when it really means what Mann had hoped it would be: a truly equal starting point for each and every student.

Thomas more’s “Utopia” was clearly the back bone for all modern day utopian writings. There were many factors and ideas which were pulled from this novel as a guiding light for many others.