More: Questions for Discussion and Further Research
A perfect society: Is it possible? The narrator of Utopia seems to think so. Yet all is not as it seems, in this imaginary paradise. What’s more, in the centuries since its publication, other creatives — authors, artists, filmmakers — have taken up the theme of utopia (or its opposite, dystopia) as a means of similarly engaging in social commentary.
Discuss:
- Thomas More’s Utopia, which imagines a “perfect” civilization/culture, is an example of utopian thought, which has spawned a number of real-world social experiments. However, is the Utopia of More’s imagination really a perfect place? Make your case, with examples from the story that support your answer.
- Is everyone treated equally in Utopia? What is the situation between men and women? Do women have the same freedoms and rights as men?
- How does the nation handle “overpopulation” in Utopia? Is this a problem-free solution? How does this solution trouble or reflect contemporary events, at More’s time?
- Could you agree to live in a society that operated under the rules in More’s Utopia? How does the arrangement seem, viewed through the lens of 21st century social conventions, as well as common understandings of equity, healthy relationships, and/or human rights?
Do further research:
- Thomas More has a complicated religious legacy, although he is officially canonized as a Catholic martyr. Research more details about More’s life, as well as the Church’s relationship to civic society at the time Utopia was written. What potential critiques of the Catholic Church are present? How did his Catholic (and other) contemporaries respond? How can we reconcile these critiques with More’s later legacy?
