Utopian Vision Essay

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Visions of utopia -- or more commonly, dystopia -- permeate the canon of literature and the arts. Thomas More's Utopia builds upon prior literature on the subject, like Plato's Republic. In More's Utopia, the author builds himself into the work as a character, much as Plato does in his writing. However, More takes Plato's concept of a utopia much farther to provide a rather detailed and comprehensive vision of what an idealized society might look like and how it might function. More's Utopia bases itself on the ideal of reason, and presumes a human nature that is devoid of problems like greed or anger. The central theme in More's Utopia is the minimization of institutions, laws, and structures. While contemporary culture trends more toward dystopic than utopic visions, some artists do remain committed to a presentation of ideals. John Lennon was one such artist. In his song 'Imagine,' Lennon sings about a utopia. Like More's utopia, Lennon's is an imaginary world unlikely to manifest but one that may be at least a blueprint or inspiration for human society.
Both More and Lennon imagine a society in which there are 'no possessions.' More agrees fully with this sentiment. In Book I of Utopia, Moore writes, 'I must freely own that as long as there is any property, and while money is the standard of all other things, I cannot think that a nation can be governed either justly or happily.' The reason why utopias lack private property can be traced to the problems associated with human greed, jealousy, and possessiveness. Property also creates the potential for social injustice and inequality that can lead to conflict. Thus, the utopic visions of More and Lennon can be interpreted within a Marxist framework. When a small group of people in power come to own the means of production, they need to amass a labor force to support their enterprise. Rather than valuing labor as a function of the value of the goods or services being produced, labor is valued in a more arbitrary fashion. This means laborers are not in control of the value of their labor and can be easily exploited.

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As More describes utopia, labor has no monetary value, but rather a more direct value in that work contributes to the production of things necessary to survival. A utopia does away with problems like lack or greed, because all property is collectively owned. People are entrusted with the ability to share and be kind to one another regarding the need for specific items. There is, as Lennon puts it, 'No need for greed or hunger.'
More expands further on the concept of property by delving into issues related to work, labor, and wealth. Work is reframed as labor that gives people joy, as opposed to suffering. In utopia, people are connected with the means of production -- namely the raw materials necessary for survival such as food and agriculture. People take pride in their labor and learn new trades willingly (Book II). No one works too hard, because there is no need for suffering senselessly in this way: 'they do not wear themselves out with perpetual toil, from morning to night, as if they were beasts of burden,' (Book II). Although Lennon does not go into such specifics in 'Imagine,' the lack of possessions, greed, or hunger in the songwriter's utopia does imply an idealized system in which labor has been revalued and where laborers are empowered.
Lennon imagines a world with no heaven, no hell, and most importantly, 'no religion.' More's utopia is also free of the constraints of religion. People have a moral foundation built on reason, not religion. The people are free to worship as they please, but the need for superstition has vanished from society. Both Lennon and More suggest that religions have too often served as a precursor to war or violent means of social control. Without religion, there is 'nothing to kill or die for,' (Lennon). As More points out, people should not be forced to convert to religions. Instead, a utopian society allows people the freedom to believe and worship as they please. For some, this may….....

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