Topic > The limit of equality is the obstacle of More's utopia

Even today, people continue to fight for equality, through initiatives on equal pay for equal work, the movement Black Lives Matter or the anti-immigration protests. The world of Utopia, the idea of ​​which was conceived several hundred years ago, incorporates communist ideals to work towards a “perfect” place for all people, not just those at the top of the social hierarchy. These anti-capitalist tendencies that allow everyone to prosper stand in stark contrast to the European world of that time. Utopian ways, along with other humanist ideas, eventually gave birth to the Renaissance age in Europe, where people began to focus on education, logic, and science, rather than tying themselves to the words of the Bible. Even though the members of society in Sir Thomas More's Utopia preach equality and impartiality, it becomes obvious that a social order is a natural human necessity and community could not exist without this reality. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The utopian society attempts to eliminate the usual hierarchy by gradually eliminating materials that support classism, property, and money and promoting conformity and uniformity. To avoid classism, which prevails through visible and material factors, such as designer clothes, «people wear, and wear throughout their lives, the same style of clothing, except for the distinction of sexes between married and unmarried people» (45). The utopians wore drab and unstylish clothing, causing all people to be dressed the same, which forced them to be equal, at least in that respect. Another attempt to drive out the humanistic greed of the population was made by eliminating private property. No citizen owned a house, indeed "every ten years we change houses by lot" (42). The footnote reveals that “the purpose is, of course, to prevent anything like private property and attachment to it.” Again, this meant that no one could distinguish themselves based on the size or decoration of their property. The utopians even equalized the work by sharing the difficult burden of farming: “The habit of rotating agricultural workers is the usual practice, so that no one has to reluctantly do such hard work for more than two years” (40). No person is singled out and forced to do challenging work because of their economic status, gender, or race. Using the rotation system, the utopians distributed burdensome jobs among everyone. These measures are taken to ensure, or at least appear to ensure, that there is no hierarchy. However, the flaws in this elimination system are quickly revealed and it becomes obvious that classification is necessary to ensure order and legality. Every subsection of society needs a ruler to enforce the laws. Each of the families in the rural part of Utopia has “two slaves tied to the land. A master and mistress, serious and mature people, responsible for each house. Only one philarch is placed in every thirty families" (40). The “philarch”, which comes from Greek, means “the rules of the tribe”. In families, a clear classification is established, with slaves at the bottom, workers in the middle, and masters and phylarchs at the top. Without someone in power, it is possible that an unwanted person could come to power in that void, which is something the utopians might have had in mind when they created this system. Slaves are also put to work, usually for life, and are «or themselves citizens, enslaved for..