Positives and Negatives of the Utopian Society Sir Thomas More wrote a novel
named Utopia about a country that existed only in his mind. More used the story
to explore his views and feelings about politics and government. People still
believe that the story holds truths that are relevant today even though More
wrote Utopia during the Renaissance. Utopia contains information about More's
vision of a perfect society. The Utopian government was able to overcome or
prevent all problems facing the country. The government first segregates the
island by digging a canal around it so that the ocean will create and island
that has hazardous straights as it's only means into the island. It then handles
the many aspects that a community faces in a manner that, for the most part,
creates an enjoyable environment to live in. There are however a few points that
I found a flaw in. Personal wealth, religion, and justice are three areas of the
Utopian society that have positive and negative sides. The first area of the
Utopian society that I found weakness in is the lack of personal property. Every
person who could get up and work did so for six hours a day. People were not
allowed to be idle as it was against the law. "Actually their working hours
are sufficient to provide not only an abundance, but a superabundance of all the
necessities and conveniences of life" (p.35). Since every person
contributes to the production of every food or material product in the
commonwealth, there is no poverty and no greed. This concept looks great on
paper. I feel, however, that this lack of owning anything would cause people to
feel like they don't work for themselves. There would be no reason to toil over
soil that was hard to sew if you knew you were not going to starve regardless of
what you produced. The next part of Utopian culture that I disagree with is its
religion and the policy it has on holidays. The people are able to worship any
god they wish in anyway they wished. . The people of Utopia are able to partake
in any religious ceremony they choose. Each citizen worships as he pleases and
as long as he does not force his beliefs onto others he is fine (p.70). This
freedom gave people a very important right. It helped to end many problems that
occurred during the early years of Utopia (p. 72). This policy is a magnificent
idea and it surprised me that no one who actually ran a country had thought of
this. The only flaw that I found in Utopian religion was that all citizens had
to the same temple at the same time for the festival of the first and last days
of the month. These days, called Cynemern and Trapermern, were celebrated in a
common temple in the city. The name of no specific god was used in the
celebration except Mithra. Since every sect of religion used this name for their
god. The government designed the services in this fashion so that they would not
offend any religion (p.77). The use of no specific name of a god is a good way
to avoid offending people, but it also makes the ceremony very impersonal. It
seems to me that it would have been more beneficial if each group of religious
Utopians was able to worship in the temple on their own day. This way they would
be able to call their god anything they wanted and would feel surrounded by
people with their same beliefs. The final area with some aspects is the Utopian
justice system. The government does not have many laws; they do not see a need
for it. The Utopians see no need in having many laws when there is not enough
time to spend to gain the understanding for a larger number. Actually, the
Utopians feel that honoring good citizens as a better way to develop morals.
Displaying the names of people who have done good for the commonwealth, is
thought to be a good way to detour others from acting against the common good.
The laws that are made are very few and are made to enforce the desired ethics.
If a law is broken, the punishment is normally left to the head of the family, a
male, unless the crime is so bad that a public punishment would be better for
the people of the city (p.60). There are no standards for the punishment
according to the wickedness of the wrongdoing, the senate decides on a case by
case basis. In court, people represent themselves. The worst criminals are
punished by bondage. People in bondage do the distasteful work of the community.
They do not stay in prisons and their only distinctions from citizens are a few
physical and cosmetic differences. Even those punished by bondage are able to
redeem themselves with hard work and patience (p. 59-61). Using bondage for
severe crimes as opposed to capital punishment is a moral punishment. Bondsmen
also provide service to the country whereas if they were put to death, no
benefits would be received. However, the freedom they are given allows them the
opportunity to endanger the public again. More laws and increased security of
bondsmen would create an environment safer for all Utopians. There are many
positive aspects of the Utopian justice system. The most prevalent is the court
itself. Many cases are kept out of court due to family punishment. With no
lawyers, the judicial process is much quicker than today's court system in
America. The most negative part of the justice system is the lack of laws. A
society should regulate their people by rules, not just positive reinforcement.
There should also be regulations of punishments for each crime. Without that
there is always a place for unfairness. Officials should keep convicted bondsmen
under a closer watch and make them more visible. These are the most vicious
criminals in the country. The citizens should treat them as such for their own
safety. The society in Utopia has positive and negative elements in religion,
personal rights, and justice. With a few minor changes, I feel that the negative
could be eliminated. Utopia portrays aspects of a community that is idealistic.
However, the balance of good and bad portions creates a realistic, more
attainable society.