Utopian Dichotomy

A utopia is defined as a non-existent place or society in which everything is perfect. Utopian societies are formed from the idea of achieving total equality, but usually, members of a utopian community may begin to lose their individuality in order to conform to the perfect ideals the society has created (White). Utopias may be created in hopes of attaining total egalitarianism, but the restrictions put forth in order to attain this can, counter productively, lead to a large amount of inequalities and imperfections.

There are many different definitions and views of what a utopia is, but the aforementioned is the general idea. For example, the Romans viewed a utopia as “being under the guidance of one’s own sovereign will (as opposed to

For example, typical American ideology generally prefers limited government and individual freedom over social or economic equality. What’s most important, though, is the dichotomy between Greece and Rome, which is made explicit from the very outset of More’s text (Nelson). More places his description of Utopia in the words of the protagonist, Raphael Hytholoday, a mystical sailor who, as we are told, is not ignorant of Latin language, but is extremely knowledgeable in the Greek language. Several recent studies of Utopia -- arguably the signal achievement of Erasmian humanism -- have made the case that More’s dialogue essentially constitutes an Erasmian defense of the “traditional humanist”, or “neo-stoic” program by which is meant the values informing the political ideology of the Italian city

Furthermore, millennium, apocalypse, or “End-Times” is often associated with utopian narratives, as when the biblical book of revelation ends with a vision of heaven (partly as restored Garden of Eden) (White). While these two terms may be closely related, there is still a variety of differences in the way they are represented in