Unique Utopia, and Ultimately Uniform

It’s always fascinating to read about Utopian societies. What’s interesting about More’s island in Utopia is the wide array of viewpoints that seem to be present in Raphael’s description. The introduction hints that More includes bits of satire within the book, so to who is this the perfect society? It’s interesting to see different aspects from different opinions coming together in the world he creates. Certain things really stuck out to me.

First of all, when Raphael was describing the government, I was immediately reminded of Athenian democracy and the similarities between the two systems. Ancient Athens was one of the founders of democracy, and having learned about how they created a whole new government structure, it was interesting to see the comparison between that and More’s Utopian government. In both, the land is divided into areas, which elect representatives to form a smaller council out of the larger population. Furthermore, in both societies, there was a presiding official elected within these smaller councils. Of course, More’s society presents some unique differences. For one, More’s government doesn’t speak of requirements or “eligibilities” for being elected to a position. Whereas ancient Athens democracy (and in fact, many government systems in the world) have requirements. For example, age limits, or what constitutes as citizenship. The only qualification, from what I can tell, is that it appears only men are able to be syphogrants/phylarchs. This was also the case in Athens.

Another interesting thing about Utopias government is the lack of a detailed court system, and the simplicity of punishment. In fact, it seems as though much is left out in this area, and generally the society is strict in enforcing punishment for wrongdoings. There is no jail, at least not that I could make out, which is such a unique item within itself, and the fact that a crime results in slavery seems so obscure. The reliance on the hierarchy within each household to chastise members for “less grave” crimes shows how honest the society is.

Another aspect of the Utopian society worth taking a look at is religion. For the time period (and the author) it is odd at how accepting More makes the society of various religions. Especially in 16th Century England, where tolerance was nowhere near where it is today. I suppose that the foundation of religion is key to their society, which is why the only group they seem against are atheists. If someone believes this life is all there is, living in a world where you have no choices and little freedom to pursue passions would be rough.

This whole idea, again, fascinates me, and makes me think if a world like this Utopia is something that should be strived for. My ultimate answer would be no. We have come so far as a world, and as a country. The thing lacking from Utopia, which I find so crucial to life, is individuality. The things that make life so great are excluded from the Utopian description, such as music, expression, art, etc. While the systems and the ideas may seem wonderful, the actual life may not be.