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Utopia
Thomas More writes utopia part two. The book discusses the best state of the commonwealth. More implies that goodness is a part of human nature if placed in the right surroundings. Generally, the odds of this happening is near impossible due to the vices that riddle the world at humans’ hands. More disagrees with this logic and argues that it is a by-product of the environment they are in. he came up with the idea of Utopia as the ideal environment to develop human virtues. Utopia is the closest thing to the right environment humans could ever get. It accepts that human beings are far from perfect, and therefore it is built on the premise that immorality is an absurd notion. Utopia aims at creating a society where everyone’s best interests are catered for by the creation of laws and standing cultures. More is virtually eliminating the deadly sins in Utopia since their absence allows its citizens to be upright and follow the set rules without contempt or negative feelings whatsoever.
In Utopia, only 500 people are exempt from labour. All citizens who are able-bodied are required to work hence no cases of unemployment are recorded. “No man may live idle, but that everyone may follow his trade diligently”. Magistrates also work in the hope that they will provoke others to do the same. Those excused from working can be pulled back if they are deemed unsatisfactory in their assigned roles. Apart from agriculture, every man has a special trade and there is no trade that is above the other since every man will have to learn the others trade. The work culture discourages sloth and idleness in the society.
Marriage in Utopia is reserved for men who are at least 22 and women who are 18 years old. Premarital sex is frowned upon and anyone found guilty of such is are punished severely by enforced celibacy, marriage is forbidden unless the Prince says otherwise. Adulterers are punished by bondage, a severe punishment, due to the fear that if they are neglected many people won’t get married. “They punish severely those that defile the marriage bed”. Those who commit adultery twice are sentenced to death. These strict rules are meant to ensure that Utopians do not succumb to lustful desires.
Ownership of private property is abolished ensuring that no one has more than the other, thus eliminating sins of greed and envy. The lack of money in Utopia also discourages bribery of magistrates in cases. “For since they have no use of money among themselves but keep it as a provision against events which seldom happen”. Everything is equalized and there are plenty of resources to be shared. Social status classes are non-existent in the society hence no one would deem themselves above the other. It eliminates the need to boast and discourages proud attitudes. Gluttony is eliminated since the citizens of Utopia take their meals in a common dining hall and each family takes turns preparing a meal for the community. The people eat the same portions and the administrators are given the best of the meals only of they are in abundance. “If there’s not such abundance of them, then the whole company may be served alike”. Utopians do not believe in exercising wrath or anger especially in war. The people would only go to war as the last course of action, and this action will greatly upset them. “They detest war as a very brutal thing, and which to the reproach of human nature is more practiced by beasts.”
Utopia is the best form of a commonwealth. The laws and cultural practices are all for the people’s interests. Their administrators do not use their power to persecute them, rather they lead by example through participating in the people’s activities. Utopia eliminates all types of inequalities and gender bias. No one is above the law. The society advocates for peace and sees war as a social perversion.
Works Cited
Freeman, John. “Discourse in More’s Utopia: alibi/pretext/postscript.” ELH 59.2 (1992): 289-311.