Utopia
In the year 1515, a book in Latin text was published which became the most significant and controversial text ever written in the field of political science. Entitled, ‘DE OPTIMO REIPUBLICATE STATU DEQUE NOVA INSULA UTOPIA, clarissimi disertissimique viri THOMAE MORI inclutae civitatis Londinensis civis et Vicecomitis’, translated into English would read, ‘ON THE BEST STATE OF A COMMONWEALTH AND ON THE NEW ISLAND OF UTOPIA, by the Most Distinguished and Eloquent Author THOMAS MORE Citizen and Undersheriff of the Famous City of London.’.
Utopia (Latin: no-place) is a society of great planning and capability. A community where individuals compromised their rights for the good of the collective and focused on a communal
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Richly elusive and endlessly enigmatic, intriguing to scholars in several disciplines and inspiring to reformers and revolutionaries,’(Pg. xvii)
The fundamental issues of human nature and morals continues to be examined and explored by scholars as many attempted to find a compromise between the individuals and the collective. Ancient testaments such as the Bible, Koran and Torah were attempts to set a standard for human behavior and morality that is optimized for the well-being of the individual and the strength of the collective. Utopia serves to prove the pinnacle of human achievement possible by a community that practice the art of self-sacrifice and unselfish care of its citizens.
I remain optimistic to the thought of Utopia as the following text attempts to clarify the true Utopia as a contrast to 14th century Europe, failed Communist Russia and China and the illusion of United States of America as an Utopia.
The Life of Sir Thomas More
(with reference to Appendix 1)
Sir Thomas More was born in London on the 7th of February 1478. His father, John More, a successful lawyer who was later knighted and made a judge of the King's Bench, was determined that his eldest son
Utopian communities have had an incredible impact on both American society and various recognized religious sects throughout the United States as a whole. Many people saw, and still see, democratic government as unfair, leaving the poor behind to become poorer while the rich continued to get richer; they felt a change in work and fairness was officially in order. Utopian societies were created with commendable intentions, and their idea of the perfect cooperative society is an attractive conference, but they were all considered experiments because they all declined swiftly and hopelessly.
Many places in the world dream of living in a utopia. A utopia perfect world where nothing is ever bad, the world is peaceful, war free, and sometimes everyone is equal. Often times a utopia is attempted, it fails. Just like in these books, Lamb to the Slaughter, Harrison Bergeron and August 2026.
The introduction of The Utopia Reader starts explaining utopianism. Gregory Glaeys and Lyman Tower Sargent explain that utopianism is a creative idea that is both positive and negative of society nature. The ideas about utopianism change from the author’s place of origin. Utopia was obtained from the Greek and means “no (or not) place”.
“The dominant spirit, however, that haunts this enchanted region, and seems to be commander-in-chief of all the powers of the air, is the apparition of a figure on horseback without a head.” Although the movie Sleepy Hollow is based upon the book The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, there are also distinctions which allow each to tell their own tale. Washington Irving’s short story inspired Tim Burton’s film but did not limit it. The foundations of the two are much the same but their story lines unfold diversely. Some of the similarities include the setting, characters, and plot points. Two of the many contradicting ideas are the character of Ichabod Crane and the conclusions. The similarities and differences of both accounts can be stated plainly
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.
Throughout many decades people have been searching for the perfect society in which everyone is happy and prosperous . Many literature and movies has been created to depict the utopia world to enable people to explore and experience the perfect society anyone could wish for. Creating a perfect world is not an easy task and this can be seen in our history . Totalitarian states arise from different countries , Stalin’s Soviet Union , Hitler’s Nazi Germany , Mao’s China . The desire of creating a perfect society can be seen clearly through these incidents. However , there are those who chose to view the society from a more realistic angle , imagining the worst possible society, which
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.
Every utopia needs a government that is in complete and utter control of the people. Control is power in our government, and if you have control everything runs ever smoothly.
Although comparing one society to another does not require them to be different in government or human behavior, it does necessarily weight one’s faults against its victories to render it better or worse than the other. This comparative structure, found between Thomas More’s two books of Utopia, poses the country of Utopia opposite the broader communities of world civilization. Despite the comparison of Utopia as distinct from and morally better than widespread society, in truth Utopia is, at best, an extension.
Shel Silverstein is unarguably one of the world’s favorite poets. Millions of children have read his greatest classics such as “The Unicorn”, “Hug O’War”, “Ickle Me, Tickle Me, Pickle Me Too”, and “Where the Sidewalk Ends”. His use of balderdash, rhyme, and alliteration draws the attention of these children; nevertheless, there is another children’s poet who is as equally eccentric as Shel Silverstein: Dr. Seuss. Although Dr. Seuss is considered one of the finest influential children’s poets, due to his preponderance of eccentric characters and nonsense, critics consider his poetry limited.
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.
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.
Utopia- good place, or in other words, no place. Thomas More, in his work Utopia, describes a nation in a parallel universe free from greed, pride, immorality, poverty, and crime; told as a narrative of a well-traveled explorer Hythloday to Moore himself, Hythloday speaks of a nation founded purely upon rationality, efficiency, and perfect morality. Thomas More’s work is no political or social theory, but rather a social critique and a commentary. In an age experiencing political and social struggle across every aspect of Western civilization along with the flooding of ancient and new ideas, Utopia is More’s way of discovering and exploring man’s and society’s natural structures and tendencies, and expressing his discontent towards them- this is shown in the narrative, as the dialogue of Hythloday and More represent his conflicted view between the ideal and the pragmatic. Acknowledging these flaws, More’s work critiques the utopian society from the perspectives of an imperfect man, but also vice versa.
Utopia, by Sir Thomas More, is a socio-political commentary on the state of 16th century English society. Originally published in 1516, More’s work has divided scholars on his intentions; whether he wanted for readers to seriously consider his ideas as a blueprint for society, or whether Utopia was merely an avenue for satire on his country. By examining how the text is presented, as well as features of Utopian society, including communal property, its absence of sin, and their impracticality in Tudor England, it can be argued that More does not expect readers to conclude that Utopia is the best of commonwealth.
Comparing Marx, Durkhiem, and Weber's Perceptions of the Development of Society from Pre-Modern to Modernity