Utopia

”… Even though it is directed towards wild animals, the desire for a bloodshed results from the tendency of the soul to savagery, even if it is not, the wild taste of such wild tastes eventually becomes wild.“

The book begins with his criticism of the period in England, and in fact, More constructs a world design which is not possible in the second part, but from which people want to live. In fact, the value of utopia and utopian tradition, as in More, is the relationship of fiction with a possible future rather than the applicability in the current situation. The situation in which we live is that society can connect our hands or invite them to cross it. While there is a limit to what is possible, while this boundary is bound to concrete conditions, there are no such limits in the utopia, it takes its power from being imaginary and practically unapproachable. That is why More, perhaps, starts from the critique of his circumstances. In a way, his Utopia is a way of saying to us “This is the case but I wish it were this. And with this world design which is soaring via the wish, he shows us both non-place (outopos) and a good place(eutopose).

The book begins when King Utopus conquers the region and transforms it into the island of Utopia. In Utopia, equality in all matters is essential and the concept at the base of this equality is public good because the thought is if the public good is taken as a base, all people will be happy. So, according to the Utopians, happiness comes from equality. If we turn this equality, Utopia does not have concepts like private property or money. Everyone dresses the same except only men and women; the bachelors and marrieds. Everyone must be a master agriculturist and agriculture is learned in schools. Everyone spends 6 hours for working, 8 hours for sleeping and the rest eating in a day. While reading the book, such a system is perhaps very pleasant to us in terms of our circumstances. A design in which everyone is in equal rights, with happiness is fascinating. If we look at the relationship between the public and family life in Utopia, the oldest male manages the family. Therefore, the society is a patriarchal society. There is a system of slavery and slavers are responsible for the flesh will be eaten of animals. ”… Even though it is directed towards wild animals, the desire for a bloodshed results from the tendency of the soul to savagery, even if it is not, the wild taste of such wild tastes eventually becomes wild.“ A quote from the book can be understood based on this situation, The Utopians think that the sense of pity in the people who kill animals will become blind and disappear, so killing animals may be the work of slaves. If we talk about the slave class more, it is possible to see gold and silver mines on the slaves in Utopia because gold and siver for the Utopians are non-worthy mines on the contrary, iron is a worthy mine because of its contribution to production. In other words, the Utopians think that things that will bring people to prestige pass through those added to the mind, not those added to the body. They think that intellectual development is more valuable than silver. This idea of ​​the Utopians brings a Dostoevsky quote to mind; “For example we consider a hat. What's a hat, hat? I can buy it from Zimermann but I can't buy what you're wearing under your hat. It is the most important thing to take it.”

This is the way that More ideal is designed in general. And this has emerged in times of social problems such as the like, and can be simulated with a golden age dream of a happy society ideal. As pleasant as it sounds, it is seen that in Utopia individuality and freedom are common. Where is individuality in a depiction where everyone is extremely happy? And if everyone is happy, does that mean that everyone is free?

Aysenur Civelek