Utopia and Il Muqaddimah Essay

One of the dominant elements that characterize the present world is discrimination either on the basis of color, tribe, gender or religion. Utopian society, however, does not allow that as every person is treated equally. As presented by More, Thomas et al, people are allowed to worship whichever god they wish too. Further, they are all treated equally whereby everyone has a right to access natural resources. Both men and women are treated equally and both take part in agricultural activities whereby no one is exempted from work. They work for at least six hours per day and they all adhere to this. To ensure efficiency, children are taught these farming skills in schools and they learn them throughout their lives. It is also the requirement

In his book Utopia, Thomas More examines a society that seems to be the ideal living situation for human beings. The main thesis of Utopia is his solution to many of the problems that are being faced in English society in the early 16th century.

The world that the narrator imagines is uniquely utopian because it is not static. It is constantly trying to improve itself. Before discussion of how Utopia constantly improves itself, it is interesting to note that this statement implies that this Utopia is not perfect. This is acknowledged near the beginning of the book when the two men meet a traveler who questions the establishment and would rather there be buildings. He says; "[Buildings are] a mere rash. Why should we men play the part of bacteria upon the face of our Mother?"(116). Still this he is not separate from civilization, as he makes, "some considerable way above the minimum wage" (117). This man’s protest of the establishment is the first hint that this new world does not claim to be perfect. In fact, later in the novel, the Voice admits that "There is no perfection, there is no enduring treasure"

The sloth of governments abroad have led Utopians to pursue lives of group work rather than personal property. In Book I, Hythloday confronts the wealthy as "rapacious, wicked, and useless, while the poor are unassuming, modest

In Thomas More’s Utopia, the elimination of property and money has all citizens working for the commonwealth. It is “where every man has a right to everything. They all know that if care is taken to keep the public stores full, no private man can want anything. For among them there is no unequal distribution so that no man is poor, none in necessity and though no man has anything, yet they are all rich” (More 81). More’s Utopia also encourages a balance of power within society. It is where an individual, in a position of power, is not “as idle as drones, that subsist on other men’s labor” (More 7) It is where that individual gives “more regard to the riches of his country than to his wealth” (More 21).

Utopians believed that perfection could be attained only be rejecting the competitive values of a larger society. Utopian’s beliefs were close to the beliefs of Transcendentalism. They also believed that man should rely and trust himself to achieve and overcome. They believed man should become one with nature and not rely on scriptures of the bible. They felt family and slavery enforced assumptions about male supremacy and white supremacy.

“ I am the emperor ! “ everyone must do what i say at once !” “He stamped his foot and the studio shook” (Bergeron pg 3) . This showed that nobody is no longer equal and must do what the king is saying because this created chaos meaning the king is superior than anyone else. A utopian world does not exist and i don't foresee it ever

The Utopians live in a society that is free from the grips of money and hoarding, one that is as close to perfect as one can feasibly imagine. It is a world where people get along together in harmony, with “nothing private anywhere” (More 231). The only have gardening competitions, and even their gardens are not permanent, dying with each passing year. They “change houses by lot” every ten years to keep people from hoarding earthly goods, and by doing this create a society where not only does everyone contribute, and everyone also communicates and relates to those around them (More 231). This happens in large part, according to More, because of “communal living and their moneyless economy” (More 269). Through this revolutionary and ideal living, they create a place where there is no bribery because there is no money, with

In Utopia, the families live in groups of about 10 to 16 adults and the male elder of the household is the leader. The male members stay in the household they were born into; women who marry, move into their husband’s household. “Wives are subject to their husbands, children to their parents, and generally the younger to their elders” (More, 2011, p. 50). The children are raised and nursed by their mother unless they become ill or die; a nurse then raises the child as their own if the mother is unable to. Utopia relies on balance of family members within each household; if there are too many members in one family, they may be moved to another household that doesn’t have as many members.

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.

however, differ considerably. The goal of Utopia is to illustrate the maintenance of an “ideal”

Societies will not only always have over ambitious people, but also a need for law and order. A flawless society would require a leading figure or group in order for there to be order and rules, but then it would no longer be a utopia. If there was a leading body, that group or individual would have more power than the regular people, thus a misdistribution of power is seen. “The contradictions in the overall Marxist scheme were all too apparent. On a philosophical level, it displayed an inherent contradiction between its fundamentally materialist position and its underlying idealist strain, which

     In Utopia, the distribution of work is intended to be as equal as possible and “agriculture is the one occupation at which everyone works” (36). Equal labor is successful in the sense that everyone puts in the same amount of time for an important cause—food production for consumption and trade. Because property is public, there is no need to have more than what is necessary, creating a low “demand”. Low “demand” means limited supply and limited supply equals less work. When not working, Utopians have leisure time to do as they please without being idle. The division of work and leisure creates a successful balance for the members of Utopia.

In Utopia equality is of the utmost importance. Without jealousy or greed there is no reason for any violence between citizens. The Utopian society values handwork and intellect and focuses on those attributes to combat wars with other countries. When they get word of an impending attack they begin by offering rewards to their opponents subjects for anyone who is able to kill the king. (Thomas More, TM, Utopia, Third ed. (New York, London: W.W.

Utopia is Sir Thomas More’s seminal work, depicting a fictitious island and its religious, social, and political customs. Working as an advisor to King Henry VIII, More was aware of the issues of his time such as ridiculous inflation, corruption, wars for little or no purpose, courtly ostentation, the abuse of power by the absolute monarchs, and the maltreatment of the poor. Consequently, More used Utopia to contrast some unique and refreshing political ideas with the chaotic politics of his own country. It is important to note that More did not intend to provide an exact blueprint for a perfect society, rather he merely presents his ideas in the form of a political satire, revealing the evils of his time.