The birth of Utopianism

Adams. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1992. More, Thomas. Utopia… Translated by Clarence H.

Utopianism and Humanism

The history of Utopia is very old dates back to the ancient Greek philosophical traditions, in which fantasy was a paradox, just like fiction is a paradox in science. But Thomas More marked himself as the Bishop of the word ‘Utopia’. His landmark work ‘Utopia’ was first published in 1516, in which Thomas More imagined a more just and equal society, where every value and traditions are being dealt with justice and equality. Moreover, Thomas More’s ‘Utopia’ can be divided into three stages. In the first stage, Thomas More satirizes capital punishment for the theft and also suggests alternative to hanging, a system of penal servitude—it can be well perceived in the famous words of Greek philosopher Socrates, who said that ‘instead of punishing criminals, we have to admonish them’. Likewise, in the second stage, Thomas More engages himself with another question: whether a person of wisdom should be willing to serve the court? Then he satirizes the unscrupulous behavior of the average king, especially his habit of starting aggressive wars, and his dishonest method of raising money from the marginalized subjects. Lastly, in the third stage, Thomas More depicts the unhappy state of the European society by constructing an ideal country/society, where human life is organized in a best possible way.

Although, some critics showed some sort of agreement but many have found it impossible to believe that ‘Utopia’ had really offered a model of perfection—despite the fact that Thomas More is seriously recommending the ‘Utopian’ way of life. Basically, the problem does not lie with ‘Utopia’ but with Utopian civilization that is really difficult to establish. Though Thomas More was a catholic but in his ‘Utopia’, he advocated things like euthanasia; the marriage of Priests and divorced by mutual consent on the grounds of incompatibility—indeed, this description was a revolt against Catholics. As far as Thomas More background is concerned, he was a rich person, but he became a downright crypto-communist. Here, ‘Utopia’ does not represent a positive ideal but a negative attack on European wickedness and his writings later appeared as a constitution for the ‘commonwealth’.

On the contrary, it is a fact that, the ‘Utopian’ institutions are not easy to be copied because the institutions of the ‘Utopian’ society are purely based on logic and reason. In the context of the ‘Utopian society’ , it is the institution that we must destroy, but those evil passions, which are at the root of the abuses—basically, Thomas Mores program was to reform the personal amelioration. Likewise, Thomas More is not suggesting ‘Utopia’ as a final option to cure all the ills of our society rather; he is suggesting the possibility of improving our society in the context of collective responsibility with common good.[1]

Similarly, Thomas More works attempts to solve the problems of human society by stressing on the possibility of the social improvement. However, More was quite unlike Whiteman: he would have never have thought inconsistency as a sign of greatness. ‘Utopia’ is not an illusion rather a stage lies in between the imagination and reality. Likewise, Utopia became a blueprint for the perfect society because the Utopian perception explores the dynamics of welfare state that refers to the material resources and opportunities.

On the other hand, if we take into account the context of George Orwell’s ‘1984’, with its depiction of Tele-screens in every room and the display of the slogans ‘BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU’ was merely a logical development from the situation in Utopia. How Utopianism surpasses the existing flaws of the society? Let’s take the context. For instance, in sexual matters the Penal Code is barbarous—pre-marital intercourse is punished by compulsory celibacy for life, adultery by slavery, and repeated adultery by death. In this regard, some critics call Utopia as ‘no place to live—it deems Utopia as complete illusion.

Although, Thomas More was staunch religious man but his aspirations for the Utopian ideals were perfect of its own kind because he unhesitatingly explored the dynamics of his own Utopianism or Utopian Imaginations, with a selfless objective of empowering the imperfect human society. There is a mention of epical rape in his during the days in the Tudor’s England. What happens is that ‘the ravisher loses his patience and draws his sword towards protesting women.[2]

Now, I warn you; he said ‘if you don’t shut up and lie down at once, I am off!’

Cowed by this fearful threat, the girl immediately lays down.

Alright, go ahead, she said, but remember you forced me into it.

Basically, Thomas More wrote his ‘Utopia’ in Tudors England, when there was no concept of personal liberty. Likewise, if we take the context of paradise through the lens of the Holy Scripture; then it is nothing less than a Utopia. [3]

Elysium is a luxurious holyday camp

Full of wine glass, girls, Honey, scent and Ya’ Music

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[1] The word Utopia was popularly used in the 19^th and 20^th century to denote the socialist ideals and Marxist ideology mainly targeting the writings of Karl Marx. When the Bolshevik revolution came in Russia, the western capitalist called it a utopian revolution by declaring it a fool’s paradise. In 1919, when Famous British philosopher Bertrand Russell took a journey to Socialist Russia, upon his return, the leading British socialists of the Time asked him to tell something about Bolshevik Russia. After a long silence, Russell remarked “Russia is nothing but a one vast big Prison’.

On the contrary, the fact cannot be denied that even Russell himself was a utopian philosopher, who often shared his imagined ‘Naked Island’, which was free of law and morality.

[2] In Plato’s ‘Republic’ women and children’s are public property—this resembles the famous dictum; ‘another world but yet the same’.

[3] If we read the History written by Pliny ‘The history of Strange people with strange characteristics’ then we will find the shades of the ancient societies, where customs were remarkable. For instance, the hyperborean practice Euthanatizes; the holy people were sexually promiscuous. When they are born, they got white hairs that became black as they grow up.

Note: There is also a concept of ‘Happy Island’ where the Ethiopians in the ancient times used to send prisoners with six month ford on board to ‘Happy Island’.