Eliminating Evil in Thomas Mores Utopia Essay -- Philosophy

Eliminating Evil in Thomas More's Utopia Thomas More's Utopia is in many ways a very hopeful book; it implies that humans can be good if put in the right environment. Many people would argue that this could never happen; that the inequalities and injustices in our world are a product of human nature. Thomas More however would argue that rather than being a product of human nature, they are a product of the corruption within society. Thomas More believed that although humans may be inherently evil, if put in the right environment this tendency can be corrected. He develops the idea of the right environment; it is Utopia, a place where people are honest and equal because of the way that society is structured. Utopia is as close to the ideal society as possible because it assumes and accepts that its inhabitants are not perfect; the starting premise of the society is that human nature is dishonest and selfish. The laws in Utopia are constructed in a manner that makes immoral action absurd. Schools and the everyday structure of life are used to educate its population to think morally without even questioning it. Utopia operates on the assumption that people have and will always act in their own best interests and, then, the laws and institutions create a climate where the best interests of the community as a whole also correspond to those of the individual. Thomas More was an extremely religious person and this can clearly be seen in the way that he structures the laws and everyday life of Utopia. Using this organization he effectively eliminates all seven of the deadly sins, because of their absence Utopian society shapes its citizens to be upstanding people and obey the many rules without resentment. It does this by making ... ..., greed and envy with the abolishment of private property. He then rids Utopian society of gluttony with the way that they eat their meals, and sloth with hard work and a well-structured day. Finally he gets rid of wrath and lust with the Utopians policies surrounding war and marriage. All of these morals are reinforced by more laws than just those listed above; such as how the rules about politics also stop people from being greedy. The plethora of rules and structure built into Utopian society may seem excessive but every one of them serves its purpose and causes the Utopians to act morally. In essence, in Utopia a citizen must make a choice: would one rather live in a society full of corruption, poverty, death and inequality or in one with many rules, some of which even hinder people's personal freedoms but where everyone is well-fed, treated fairly and equal.