Is Utopia Possible?
Utopia: remote cabin on the beach, the kingship of a vast empire, Nirvana; Heaven, the Happy
Hunting Grounds, paradise, perfection. What exactly is Utopia? According to Webster it is "1,
an imaginary and indefinitely remote place" or " 2, often capitalized : a place of ideal perfection
esp. in laws, government, and social conditions". Where is this perfect place? Will my dog live
forever there? Will I never grow old? If I never grow old there does that mean I never mature?
What if my idea of perfection differs from my neighbor there, will it still be perfect for both of us?
Utopia is a nonexistent, but absolutely perfect place, as we can see from the beginning of the
word in 1516 by Sir Thomas More.
More was one of Henry VIII's main councilors. He fell out of favor with the king when he
did not sign a letter urging the pope to divorce Henry and Catherine. He was imprisoned in the
Tower of London because his going against the king was treason; he was beheaded. It is strange
that a man with such a life, and such an end, was the creator of the perfect world as well as a
commonly used word in our language. In his writings Utopia was a place of absolute perfection.
He described a poor king who cared more about the riches of his people than his own welfare,
much different than the dystopia that he lived his life in. This Utopia of More sounds very similar
to that that Gonzalo speaks of in Shakespeare's Tempest
"All things in common nature should produce without sweat or endeavor. Treason, felony,
Sword, pike, knife, gun, or need for any engine Would I not have; but nature should bring forth of
it own kind, all foison, all abundance, to feed my innocent people"(Shakespeare 334)
There have been many attempted Utopias. One of these can be seen in the book Brave New
World. This book takes place on earth in the future. In this future everything is dominated by
science and technology. There is no Religion or art. The directors of this new world have
attempted to make a Utopia in which people are predestined to fit into their "their inescapable
social destiny." They feel that this will be better for the people because they will not try for
greater things and fail. The new world uses science to "stabilize" society by removing any
it should be learnt that the search for „utopia‟ is a contemplative one, and can never be
The dictionary definition of utopia is an imaginary island with perfect social & political system, social and political paradise. Waknuk is not an island, so it is deffinatly not a utopia, but Sealand has the characteristics of a utopia. It is an island, but it does not have a perfect social and political system.
was not a popular King. He also had a very weak claim to the throne
The definition of Utopia is, “an imagined place or state of things in which everything is perfect.” The rules and controls listed above and the many more that are in the book “Anthem” describe a society trying to become collective but in a utopian way. The purpose of these rules and controls is to keep the society collectivist. Fear is what runs this society. “.
Imagine a place where everything is perfect. There is a place where there is no warfare, where all. All politics, laws, customs, and traditions are respected. A place where there is sameness among all the citizens and everyone is content and happy. This place would be considered a utopia.
previous quote is referring to how the people are controlled. They have no say in their own life style.
In regards to religion, utopias are somewhat ambiguous. In general, either exclusive or inclusive religious communities were created. The Puritans were exclusive.
History will repeat itself, it has time and time again. Utopia is virtually impossible by its very definition as applied to the philosophy of today. The inevitable outcome of all organized systems is thus the enslavement of the human majority and the eventual revolution of a new system.
Utopia is a society that you really can’t wrap your head around. In Utopia it talks about Thomas, Raphael, Peter how they met and what they think they about the society. It ask you questions that really makes you think, would I want to live in this society? Utopia talks about how they are a perfect society but it makes you wonder if they really are. (More, 2011)
Utopia is a depiction of a semi-ideal society and all of the criticism of European society that ideal represents, and it is a explanation on itself and its themes. The book can at times be inconsistent, just as More himself could: a man who preached religious toleration and logically mistreated Protestants, decides to remain a Christian rather than enter the priesthood but ultimately died a willing victim for his faith. Ultimately, Utopia is a book that, like More, attempted to navigate a course through the ideal and the real, between a want to create perfection and the practical understanding that perfection, given the imperfection of mankind, is impossible.
Our fascination with utopias stems from our attraction to and pursuit of progress within our own society. We study utopias with the hope that our society will someday evolve into one. But what often goes unnoticed is that if our society improves enough to become utopian, it won't be able to improve any longer. Hence, it will be rigid and unchanging, the complete opposite of what it was as it evolved to its elevated state. This is an awful truth for us because we place value and virtue in the ideas of desire and progress. Our reason tells us: once in an ideal land, desire cannot simply cease to be, because desire is part of our human nature. And our reason is right. An ideal society should accentuate our human nature, not suppress it. As we desire a perfect society we know that a perfect could not exist without our desire. And as long as we desire, we hope for progress. The idea that an utopia wouldn't allow such progress to occur is enough to make us stop believing in utop...
In 1516, Thomas More first coined the term “Utopia” with his novel by the same name. The word itself is derived from the Greek words ou, which means not, and topos, meaning place. Combining those two words, you create a new meaning of “no -place”. Utopia itself is a place that does not exist. Utopia is nowhere. Throughout the history of Utopian literature, Utopia’s are meant to symbolize an ideal place or society, one often very different than the author's own. Within Thomas More’s Utopia, we see characteristics that contrast greatly with 16th century Europe. However, the ideal society in More’s Utopia tends to mask the consequences of said society, and with further consideration, shares characteristics with a Dystopia.
The oxford dictionary describes as “an imagined place or state of things in which everything is perfect. Sir Thomas More first used this word; he was born in 1478 in London, England and came to be one of the most influential figures of the early Renaissance. Not only did he work as a lawyer but he was also a well respected philosopher and historian as well as writer. In 1516, Moore wrote Utopia, a book based off of fiction and political philosophy. Utopia has been with us since the beginning of time – all religions for example has an idea of a perfect place; the Garden of Eden and paradise are examples within the Catholic religion. When Moore first created the word for a book entitles Utopia, the word itself is derived for the Greek ju meaning ‘no’ and toʊpiə meaning ‘place’ therefore the literal translation would be ‘no place.’ However, it could also mean ‘good place’ as eu(topia) means good(place). This idea of no place and good place juxtapose each other and also arise the concept of an ‘ideal’ place being elsewhere – out of the reach of human beings – or just does not exist.
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.
Utopia, a term that appeared in the 16th century, was invented by Sir Thomas More in 1516. Many define utopia to be an idealistic and utterly perfect society. However, theoretically, utopia has nearly perfect qualities, not exactly perfect. In history, there has not been any specific record of a utopian society existing and there has been controversy on that it will never exist. However, a utopian society is possible because a utopia does not necessarily need to be absolutely perfect, society can come together and put aside its differences, and because the people learn how to improve situations that can happen or have happened.