The Paradox of Utopia<\/p>\n
Over the course of the class my idea of what a Utopia is has shifted more from a society where people work together and hold the needs of the entire community above the needs of individuals to simply being idea of hope that is different for each individual.\u00a0 However, it has changed to become more of an idea and a state of mind than an actual place.\u00a0 When asked to write our first response paper on what we thought of as a Utopia my response was a simplified and different version of the Utopia Thomas More creates.\u00a0 Essentially, a community in which everyone is as happy as they can possibly be, not individually but as a whole.\u00a0 As a result of the many different kinds of Utopia and a deeper look into Thomas Moore\u2019s Utopia I formed a new idea: that Utopia is only an idea that is different between each individual rather than an actual place.<\/p>\n
For our research project we each chose a Utopian community and were given the task to ask a research question and then answer it with what we could find.\u00a0 The majority of students chose relatively similar questions that examined whether or not the given community can be considered a Utopia.\u00a0 We examined the social and political structure of our chose community and found connections between the Utopian ideas that were presented in our readings such as communal ownership and self-sufficiency.\u00a0 The questions of \u201cIs this place Utopian\u201d is a paradox in the sense that there is no answer.\u00a0 Some have chosen to use Thomas More\u2019s Utopia<\/em> as the definition: a community which seeks to appeal to the largest number of citizens within the community.\u00a0 The problem with this is that involves using abstract concepts such as happiness to define the community.\u00a0 Ideas such as happiness and community are formed within an individual and not a society.\u00a0 Thus, their really is not clear Utopia.\u00a0 A more in depth look at Thomas More\u2019s Utopia shows that he may agree with this idea.<\/p>\n The first piece of evidence is that the term \u201cUtopia\u201d actually means no place along with perfect place.\u00a0 This suggests that Utopia is not an actual place it is just an idea that is conceived within the minds of individuals.\u00a0 Thus, Utopia can not exist within the real world it is just a figment of our imagination that we will one day be in a better place.\u00a0 More evidence of this is used within Bradshaw\u2019s article which tries to make sense of Utopia<\/em>.\u00a0 He essentially finds book two as the best possible solution to all of the problems present in book one.\u00a0 He acknowledges how book two is something that we could never emulate in real life.\u00a0 The world is too unpredictable and people are too different to all follow the same patterns of the members of Utopia.\u00a0 However, we can strive to be like Utopia in order to improve upon our own society.\u00a0 This final claim is what gives the books some meaning if even the writer knew that it was impossible to reach this goal.\u00a0 Ultimately, by examining Utopia<\/em> it becomes clear that Thomas More is only presenting an idea that he thinks can help the society he lived in improve, rather than an actual society that could one day come into existence.<\/p>\n Utopia is an idea which is within each and every individual, but everyone\u2019s idea is different because everyone is different.\u00a0 One way to describe this is by thinking back to the first response paper in which we were all asked to explain our own Utopia.\u00a0 Although there were likely similarities between each answer, no two responses were identical to each other.\u00a0 This is because everyone has a different Utopia.\u00a0 The best way I could describe Utopia is the idea or place that enters one\u2019s mind when they are hoping for a better life.\u00a0 Everyone had a different perception of what they believe will improve upon society.\u00a0 That why so many different communities have been created in attempt to create an ideal situation.\u00a0 However, the downfall of most of these communities is conflict between their direction.\u00a0 Everyone has a different idea of what will make things better and this conflict has lead to the ruin or break up of many communities.<\/p>\n Everyone sees it different that is why Utopia is an idea inside the individual rather than a concrete ideal.\u00a0 Each of the four books we read offered a better society in response to the world they lived in.\u00a0 When Plato thinks of a better place he sees a Republic with philosopher kings as its rulers.\u00a0 Rousseau sees world before man was civilized finding Utopia in the savage man.\u00a0 These conflicting ideas of Utopia all come from the same problem, unhappiness with their current situation.\u00a0 When life is hard it is helpful to imagine something better.\u00a0 Everyone is guilty of this practice.\u00a0 Ultimately everyone seeks out a better life, but everyone has a different idea of what this life will look like.<\/p>\n It is significant to understand Utopia because it still plays a role in shaping the society we live in.\u00a0 Politicians argue with one another over the best course to set our society on.\u00a0 Communities argue over the best plan to improve.\u00a0 Everyone is striving to find this better place and it is important to study Utopias and determine the parts that are beneficial to society.\u00a0 In striving toward a better place we may be able to make our world a better place.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Paradox of Utopia\n
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