Utopia Book Review (Revised)

More, Thomas, Sir, Saint. Utopia. London: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc, 1975. (130 pages, 2 books, index)

In More's Utopia, the author lays out, in some detail, the society of a island dwelling people called the Utopians. The book takes a slightly unique approach as it is not a story about characters that live in Utopia, rather, it is an overview made and communicated to us by a person who merely visited there and familiarized himself with the place and its people. The book itself is somewhat of a commentary on ideals and societal perfections as it takes the account of the Utopians and naturally compares it to the modern societies of the time. Though the book and time period from which it comes is older, the implications and insights still give modern day readers material for reflection and discussion.

The work, as a whole, is actually divided into two distinct parts called books. The societal and cultural overview of the Utopians, however, makes up the writing in the second book, which book will be the focus of my review. This second book is rather short in length as it does not exceed 100 pages but does contain a wealth of sociological, geographical, and political information about the Utopians.

As a writer, i find the book impressive because it takes the idea of actual societal perfection and creates it in the form of a fictional people and then dissects it as though it were actually being visited by an outsider. Creating a whole world is one thing, but creating a world with laws, balance, geography, social class, religion, and all the other details that make up actual society, is particularly impressive. The level of excellence the book achieves is perhaps better realized when we try to use it as a model and create our own Utopia. Just making it a generally "fair" place, while still maintaining the idea that man is flawed and independent is a chore in and of itself.

As a reader, i find the book fascinating both in its content and style. I enjoyed the intricate and full detail that the author puts into this Utopian society such that it is easy to forget it is a place of fiction. I cannot help but think this society, though perhaps ultimately unattainable, is as close to ideal as possible.One of the strengths of this book that i find particularly far reaching is the impact that it still has on modern readers. People debate the possibility of such a place, even in theory, to this very day. Its societal commentary shows us the differences between what we really have and what we perhaps ought to have. Many of the common problems in society and entirely lacking in Utopia. One example is poverty. In Utopia, there is no such thing as poverty because all who are able are required to work in order to stay within the society. All things are shared in common and people work together. Skills are learned by all and taught to others with people switching jobs and learning a new skill or trade every ten years. Because the societies members are all skilled laborers, much of the work done there is achieved with great speed and efficiency and all are rewarded for their work with adequate food, shelter, clothing, and all other necessities. The leaders of Utopia are not rewarded more than is reasonable and are also required to work for their own support. They are under the same laws as the people. These are just some of the technical mechanics of the society that allow it to be so successful. When we consider that this work was written several hundred years ago, we see quite clearly that many of these seemingly simple ideas were ahead of their time. Having the ability to create these ideas and implement them into a fictional society, is impressive to say the least.

As far as potential limitations are concerned, the one that i find is the lack of individualism in the work, both in the writer and the Utopians themselves. I would have enjoyed a more personal interaction between the author and the people not unlike Gulliver's travels. Messages are often clearly understood if seen through the lens of ground level interaction. This would be the only real limitation in my opinion.

In terms of this book in relation to my quest, i chose it because of the idea that perfection is something for which a person can continually strive. This book looks, in detail, at an actual implementation of societal perfection. The thing that is of personal interest and significance to me is the idea that societal perfection is impossible without each and every individual doing the very best they can for the good of society. This requires traits like humility, self-sacrifice, and social cognizance, all of which are worth striving for. While the society in this book is not real, the idea of striving for perfection and continued personal improvement is very real to me. Taking a book, whether based on fact or fiction, and using it as a model, is something that is personally helpful to me and this is why i chose this book as my quest book.

I find that this book is best read form an almost critical point of view. I would invite the potential reader to take a shrewd view of the ideas put forth in this book and try to find holes in the methodology. When one does this, it reveals the depth and thoughtfulness of the work in that there are far fewer structural weaknesses than one might originally assume. I recommend this book to anyone who has an analytical mind and has an interest in hearing thoughts on societal perfection. In my own life quest, i find the book powerful as i examine the type of person which is requisite in making an ideal society work. Perhaps the things that speak to me are not the same things that speak to others.