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How does religion impact literature
Utopia as a social model
A utopian world essay
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This essay will attempt to analyze the connection between views of religion in the fictional island nation of Utopia and their views on religion. By the end of this paper, the reader should have an adequate understanding of the connections between Utopian religion and morality. For the purposes of this paper, the definition of religion shall use the erroneous assumption that religion only includes only the organized practice of believing in and appeasing a god[s]. This definition excludes the belief in an absence of a god, however this makes little difference for this paper, as most Utopians are monotheists and believe in an omnipotent god. With that clarification, the message of the paper may be communicated more clearly.
The author of Utopia,
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This presents a problem, however, because humans are inherently not rational creatures. They are prone to prejudices and interpreting evidence in a way that reaffirms their beliefs. Regardless of the obstacles that exist, the Utopians practice tolerance and respect toward all religions.
Most utopian religions incorporate a monotheistic religion that has one all-powerful god that is responsible for all the death, life, and change in the universe. Utopian beliefs are consistent on the nature of god; however, they are somewhat divided on several aspects of him. They are not unified about what they should worship to glorify their god or exactly what he is beyond the examples listed above.
An interesting note is how similar their concept of god is to the Christian God. This was likely done by More to establish support for some of the other ideas expressed in Utopia. This motive is reinforced even more because large numbers the utopians converted to Christianity when they learned of it. They were described as intensely interested in Christianity and its tenants. Their system of religion was also very like Christianity. Unfortunately, even Christians that did not follow the smaller traditions of other sects were looked down on in England. This description of their interest in Christianity reveals how much pressure More was in to portray Christianity in a
“Religion Gives Meaning to Life” outlines how life is given meaning through theistic religion in Louis Pojman’s opinion. In this short reading, autonomy is described as in the meaning of freedom or self-governing and argues how it is necessary for ideal existence. By being honest and faithful with ourselves shows how we can increase our autonomy. “I think most of us would be willing to give up a few autonotoms for an enormous increase in happiness” (553) shows our willingness to practice good purpose.
Utopia is a term invented by Sir Thomas More in 1515. However, he traces the root two Greek words outopia and eutopia which means a place does not exist and a fantasy, invention. It is widely accepted that Plato was to first to picture a utopian order. In his masterpiece, “Republic”, he formed the principles of ideal commonsense and his utopia (Hertzler, 1922:7). After the classical age, Sir Thomas More assumed to be the first of the utopian writers in early modern period. As a humanist, he gave the world in his “Utopia” a vision of a perfect communistic commonwealth (the history of utopian thought). Utopia’s influence on contemporary and rival scholars is so deep that it has given its name to whole class of literature. Following the appearance of More’s Utopia, there was a lack of Utopian literature for nearly a century (Hertzler, 1922:7). This period ended with the works of Francis Bacon, Campanelle and Harrington. These early modern utopians, being the children of Renaissance, filled with a love of knowledge and high respect for the newly truths of science. Thus, they believed that the common attainment of knowledge means the largest participation of all members of society in its joys and benefits. After the period of early Utopians, continuation of a sprit of French Revolution and initial signs of industrial revolution resulted in the emergence of a new group of Utopians called Socialist Utopians (Hertzler, 1922: 181). The word “Socialism” seems to have been first used by one of the leading Utopian Socialists, St Simon. In politics utopia is a desire that never come true neither now nor afterwards, a wish that is not based on social forces (material conditions and production) and is not supported by the growth and development of political, class forces. This paper discusses the validity of this claim, tries to present and evaluate the political reforms, if any, offered by Socialist Utopians.
Today, we can still find many examples of past utopias. A utopia is an ideally perfect place, especially in its social, political, moral and legal aspects.1 They do not approve of any actions that are superficial and unnecessary. In addition to these beliefs, people from utopian societies are strong believers in God. Sharing many of these same ideals, the Quakers are a group with a strong faith. Despite the fact that Quakers feel art is a luxury and a frivolous thing that they should not take part in, many great artists and writers are members of the Quaker society.
What would happen if an utopia wasn’t all that perfect on the inside? Judging by just the appearance of something may lead to a situation of regret and confusion.” The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” by Ursula K. Le Guin and “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson address the theme of religious and traditional symbolism.” The Lottery” demonstrates how something that seems so perfect on the outside isn’t all that great on the inside.
The so-called Utopia – the quasi-perfect society – flourishes in Margaret Cavendish’s “The Description of a New World, Called a Blazing World” and Sir Thomas More’s Utopia. While the former is a dreamlike account of fantasy rule and the latter a pseudo-realistic travelogue, both works paint a picture of worlds that are not so perfect after all. These imperfections glitter like false gemstones in the paths of these Utopians’ religious beliefs, political systems, and philosophical viewpoints.
This serene society greatly contradicts the one we live in. Our society is furnished with hatred and warfare, yet in return, we are given freedom and the privilege of having distinctive characters. Given the nature of human beings, our society is more idealistic to live in. Utopia is an imaginary state, which consists of people who believe they are more capable of living in a group than alone. In such a community, the welfare of the group is the primary interest compared to the comfort of individuals.
Huxley's brave new world loathes the pain and agony of religion, as well as the complications that it creates; but in reality the inhabitants have a rigorous...
More’s Utopia is more like a fictional story on the surface, but of course there is a great deal of depth to this piece of literature. Utopia is set mainly as a conversation between three men: More, Hythloday, and Giles. Hythloday is arguably the most significant character in this story, as he is the one relaying all of the information about the land of Utopia to More. Hythloday went on many explorations with Amerigo Vespucci, and came across the island “Utopia” in his travels – there he had the opportunity to act almost like an anthropologist, observing and studying the ways of the Utopians.... ...
In Thomas More’s Utopia, an ideal society is presented, and several of this society’s different institutions are detailed. I will compare More’s version of an ideal society with Marx’s vision of what a conflict free communist society would be. I will examine the societal system as a whole focusing on the hierarchy of Utopia, the process of production, distribution of resources, and money.
’s We is incapable of systematically functioning perfectly, because the premise of a utopia contradicts the irrational egoist nature of humans. In The Lathe of Heaven,
In the book Brave New World by Something Huxley, he tackles the issue of whether religion is needed in societies or not. The World State functions as an example of a society untouched by any of modern days formal religions, while Malapis still holds some traditional religious values. Huxley uses both perspectives in order to create an argument with himself about the place of religion in societies. The distinctions between religions is meaningless if the ultimate goal is to persuade people to conform the a specific set of standards.
Frank E. Manuel and Manuel Frtizie, Utopian Thought in the Western World. London: Belknap Press 1982
To understand the relationship, the two books must be contextualized. An important part of contextualization is to understand the role of Plato in both the period of Humanism and, within that, in the life of Thomas More. On the one hand, More, like many of his counterparts of the period, "had enjoyed good humanist [education] and retained a powerful love of classical literature" (Rice 141). To further complicate matters, though, although he was a politician, he was also a devout Christian who "secretly wore a hairshirt until the day before he died" (Turner/More 14). More specifically, More was a devout Catholic who was executed because he refused to take an oath swearing loyalty to Henry VIII, after the split of the Church of England, over the pope. His religiosity makes some of the differences between the Republic and Utopia more understandable.
The origins of utopian societies date back to ancient empires. For example, the Greek philosopher Plato theorized the ideal Greek state in his publication, the Republic. His explanation of ideal societies stood until Sir Thomas Moore fantasized an imaginary island in which no problems – disease, war, poverty – existed in his novel, Utopia, written in 1516 (“Utopias”). In addition, Moore is credited with coining the term ‘utopia’. Through his descriptions of the perfect state, the term has come to mean any place in which a system of political or social perfection exists (“utopia.”). The Protestant Reformation further transformed the implications of utopia breaking the common beliefs regarding labor. Martin Luther, for instance, stressed that no one job was of more spiritual importance than another. In addition, John Calvin, a supporter of predestination, stressed that working hard for the community was a sign that that individual was part of the Elect – a much sought after inclusion (“Utopias”)...
Utopia as a text is a clear reflection and representation of More’s passion for ideas and art. Through the character of Raphael, More projects and presents his ideas, concepts and beliefs of politics and society. More’s Utopia aims to create a statement on the operations and effectiveness of the society of England. This text is a general reflection of More’s idea of a perfectly balanced and harmonious society. His ideas and concepts of society somewhat contrast to the rest of 16th century England and indicate a mind that was far ahead of its time. A number of issues and themes are raised throughout the text to which More provides varying views and opinions. These are transmitted and projected through the perspectives of the fictional Raphael, More and Giles.