Introduction
Utopists see man as a product of his social surroundings rather than an independent being. The term utopia was coined by Thomas Moore in 1516, and it refers to an imaginable society where everything is perfect (Bertolami 1). Utopian philosophy provides a guiding concept for humanity, a worldwide element striving to live the best life possible in a complicated yet damaged world. Additionally, it is a global component striving to attain the most extraordinary life feasible in a complicated and nevertheless fragmented environment.
Everyone has fantasized about or at least yearned for a better world free of crime, sickness, and poverty, in other words, the most pleasing possible existence. Humanity shares this goal, but the way it is perceived or what utopia means to each individual differs and is dependent on their unique idea of what life should be. However, since the dawn of time, humankind has been in pursuit of more. In every circumstance, man searches for something more than what he has. Regrettably, the majority of humanity has become unethical in the pursuit of significant money, pleasure, and power, creating an imperfect dystopic environment.
The undying nature of man in quest for power in the society has made the notion of a perfect utopia unachievable, for example. Stock accentuates that governments and political institutions in dystopian civilizations occur in a variety of shapes and sizes (698). In particular, anarchism, bureaucracy and excessive capitalism, and other types of political, social, and economic control are examples of these systems. They do, nonetheless, have one political element in common, the political system strives to execute one dominant philosophy at the expense of all others. These regimes wield enormous power over civilians to impose the dominant paradigm. The government’s utilization restriction to advance its political ideology is a corollary to the enforcement of social authority. The government prevents individuals from engaging in critical thinking that would cause them to question authority.
Moreover, the urge to place significant social limitations on the characters’ life is a defining trait of most human desires. Thus, it might manifest as social stratification, in which social class is clearly outlined and imposed, and social migration is non-existent. The less fortunate, in particular, are secluded in slums, whereas the affluent reside in mansions. Additionally, the desire to comply, often phrased as a duty not to excel, is another aspect of social control. The society depicted in these texts is relentlessly impartial, with ability and success and professionalism, prohibited or vilified as manifestations of injustice. Since most individuals are eager to embrace the dystopia, and the rebellion against it is primarily among intellectuals, the dystopia restrains people with great vigor.
In addition, man’s nature of developing anti-social behavior has massively created an imperfect culture that has, in turn, influenced diverse undesirable surroundings. Nevertheless, anti-social behavior has ramifications for entire communities, as it frequently leads to the deterioration and abandonment of places. The condition of existence in an area declines, destroying community spirit and pride and making people feel abandoned and helpless. People begin to leave the region, and companies begin to close. More anti-social behavior is likely to occur, and an ecosystem is created in which more heinous crimes can thrive; as a result, rendering the utopic culture unachievable.
Moreover, the human nature of being excessively scientific has created a utopic environment; unfortunately, it has turned into a dystopic one. For example, the drive for technological advancement for the first time in history, major technological advances, medical development, and a higher sense of social duty has given rise to the notion that war, disease, and hunger are solvable problems. However, technology has not yet progressed to the point where it can cure disease and alleviate world famine, as depicted in science fiction. Instead, it has been used to monitor and control people. Technical advancements have introduced new security issues throughout history, which all societies have adapted to.
Advances in information and networking technology have been transformative, and they have transpired rapidly in the past 30 years that a swarm of critical inventions has emerged as a result of this fast evolution. For instance, to develop more lethal weapons and new systems of discrimination and victimization and deepen the divide between governments and their citizens. Instead of enabling the effective use of peace, technology would hasten for brutal and more gruesome violence, undesirably leading to an imperfect world created by man.
Recently, the deadly Covid-19 virus appeared and wreaked havoc around the globe. It has been hypothesized that the testing of new technology brought about the now-famous fatal illness. Furthermore, others speculated that it was formed as a consequence of conflicting philosophies coming together. As a result, it induced dread and terror among people, resulting in the formation of an imperfect society driven by man’s capacity to develop in the technological area.
Many of the most significant technical developments in the past were the product of military initiatives that produced goods later discovered to have civilian uses. Aeronautics technology such as jet engines, microwave ovens, and GPS systems, now included in almost every vehicle and smartphone, were all designed with military technology in mind. In the United States, military expenditure, has been a significant driving factor for technical innovation for many years. As a result, the military power has created war environment with nations such Russia.
The Capacity of Human to Change
What keeps life moving is the capacity to modify and adapt to it. Human experience shifts on a daily basis, in a variety of ways, and frequently numerous times each day. Human nature is difficult to change; in this perspective, it can be deduced that the process can take millenniums (Stock and Adam 697). In this change notion, climate breakdown, mass extinctions, and high inequality are just a few issues that threaten the earth’s diverse fabric of life and make humanity’s future increasingly uncertain. As a result, people have been dreaming of change that will ultimately lead to a utopian future.
During great social, political, and ecological upheaval times, these problems do not exist for ages. In reality, people have been fantasizing about such a change in the world for centuries. Such dreams are frequently regarded as nothing more than meaningless imaginations; however, the yearnings can be impossibly ideal for communities. In this sense, the majority of these assertions are erroneous. Utopianism is the lifeblood of social change, and it has already motivated a limitless population and organizations to make positive changes in their communities and around the world (Midgley 10). For centuries people have fancied the perfect world; at the same, it can be deemed unachievable; hence it can be concluded that utopia is a fantasy since a human cannot entirely change their ways.
In this perspective, dystopias and utopias are reflections of human nature and the potential that exists within is it at their most fundamental level. According to Steele, same capability has enabled people to build cities, kill animals, and substantially enhance human life expectancies and enhance them to develop the nuclear bomb (28). Inevitably, humans have altered and molded the planet to their liking, for better or worse, in a way that might either lead to extinction or new levels of good fortune. For several individuals, great wealth will be preceded by severe devastation in the near future, as they envision the world to be. The good and the evil in utopia and dystopias, respectively, as in human nature, are closely entwined with each other (Steele 60). In this regard, it is impossible to know good without also knowing evil. The assertion is that by confronting evil one succumbs to temptation, despite that, true goodness can manifest; therefore, changing human nature can simultaneously lead to good or bad.
Factually, unpredicted change in human nature is the reasons why utopias and dystopias inevitably endure and continue to captivate society. Further, it can be insinuated that they reflect the severe polarization of human nature of excessive brutality, annihilation, powerful healing and unity that mirror the polarity of human nature. A trip through Utopias and dystopias, in other words, is a study of those extremes, a journey by which civilization comes to comprehend its boundaries and possible drawback better (Claeys 58). People are captivated by utopian visions of themselves that act and behave like them while being distinct from them. Thence, people are intrigued by this picture of themselves that acts like them while remaining distinct from them. Similar to this, dystopias have the ability to show society precisely what it is that it fears the most about itself, and this is the power that the abject has over society.
In the imagination of many people, utopias have long thrived as a fantasy of what community would be like if man’s nature were flawless, and many religions have sought to depict this vision. For instance, The Garden of Eden and Heaven are both supposed to be devoid of wickedness, as though God had thoroughly cleansed the inhabitants of both environments. Hence, religion has also imagined the worst features of human nature, culminating in the most severe form of the post-apocalyptic world depicted by hell, which is the most extreme version of the post-apocalyptic world.
Similarly, the portrayal of humanity’s good and evil, and the investigation of what that might look like, have also taken on newer forms in more modern contexts. Among the themes explored are the propensity for human nature to oppress and the ability to withstand hardship. Notably, the novel explored in The Hunger Games emphasizes the natural character of humans, which elicits the question of what human beings are capable of in search for power, adversities and fame (Hasbullah and Muhammad 9). The good of human nature is also depicted as a spark that cannot be extinguished no matter how vast the darkness is (Hasbullah and Muhammad 9). Furthermore, the notion that humanity’s nature is a spectrum of emotions, both good and bad, distinguishes us as humans. These realities of existence, such as light and darkness, must work in concert in order to establish the three-dimensionality of human experience and the meaning that may be derived from it.
Notably, dystopias and utopias are intriguing since they represent humanity’s potential magnified globally; hence, change is impossible. It is possible to achieve paradise by multiplying the possibilities of a single human being who is proactively decent by a million actively good persons. The delicate balance that is tipped depends on society and its beliefs about whether human nature is good or wicked and the best ways to convey good and evil effectively. For a fact, this confusing combination of human nature demotes both utopia and dystopia to the domain of fantasy (Bertolami 2). In this way, it forbids them from becoming a fact in the actual world. Thus, this is one of the reasons why perfection and apocalypse have become such critical philosophical topics of debate; it is hard to harmonize the absolute perfection of utopia with the dualism of human nature.
To reach a flawless paradise, there is need to transform human nature for a superior form of being to be realized. When it comes down to it, human are all a mash-up of good and evil, right and wrong, and unpleasant events resulting from the best intentions. Humans were responsible for both the terror act of September 11th at the same time, provided the first rescuers. Due to this combination, perfect world and pure dystopia will never arise in their best forms. Conversely, humanity will always be a mash-up, and individuals must not only come to grips with but also enjoy the repercussions of this reality in man’s everyday lives.
The Formation of a Perfect Utopia
A perfect society can only be as excellent as its citizens. Participants of this ideal culture must think about their well-being and the growth of their community. There is a detailed analysis of the key elements of a thriving community in Thomas More’s utopia, works of a perfect society. Further, his notion underscores that the citizens of utopia feel it is “wrong to deprive someone else of a pleasure so that you can enjoy one yourself (Bertolami 3)”; hence, people must not pursue interests at the expense of other people. In this way, people’s interests, joys, or wants be valued more than others. Regardless of one’s abilities, strengths, or advantages, there is no significant variation in one person’s worth over another. As a result, it is proper to treat everyone fairly and not obstruct someone else’s endeavor to achieve one’s own goals. More claims that assisting others is an inherent aspect of a person’s essence and that nature desires that people should assist one another because no human being has exclusive control over their passions.
Furthermore, it is preferable for everyone to be content rather than for some to be happy while others are unhappy; this is particularly relevant when there is a significant gap between these two feelings in a community. Moreover, equitable contentment would diminish citizen jealousy and hostile rivalry, whether in terms of investment or politics. Citizens will recognize that their fellow community’s collaborative activity will protect them in times of adversity and boost their businesses for expected growth. Citizens like this contribute to the creation of an ideal society since every one of its members seeks improvement and development for themselves and each other in every element of life, from economic security to peace and stability politically.
However, to achieve this magnificent citizen brotherhood, a significant shift in how individuals deal with each other’s discrepancies is required. If someone steals, uses obscene language, or is abusive, it is natural if they do not like them. On the other side, it is undesirable if someone ignores someone because they have a different skin color, are from a different nation, or are of a different gender. The distinction between these two cases is that the first illustrates assessment based on an individual’s decisions, while the second exhibits opinion based on uncontrolled fate results. An individual’s actions, values, and mindset should be used to determine who they are. Color and physical characteristics should not limit an individual’s quality. Similarly, an ideal society will be a great nation if individuals emphasize character and activity over inherent characteristics such as race. This shift in thinking would make it easier for people to seek out the growth of others, contributing to the establishment of a perfect society.
Despite this, a good ship requires a competent commander or captain. To ensure the success of their residents and the support of each other’s businesses, the leader or leaders of an ideal society must be strict and open with their rules. Leaders must maintain rigorous supervision over residents because individuals might rapidly return to seeking self-interest despite the previously indicated shift in thinking. For example, it can be seen in some of the renowned philosophical thought of Niccolo Machiavelli, as his notion accentuates that rulers must be unbiased. By being severe, a leader can avoid major transgressions that might otherwise go undetected because persons who have perpetrated a crime but received little punishment diminish the fear of others doing the same crime. Still, some may object to a leader’s forcefulness, but once the benefits of this feature are seen, they will comprehend. To preserve law and peacefully govern the state for the benefit of the people, a leader must be rigorous with the legislation.
A considerable majority of individuals on the planet must also want a wealthy and fair future for everyone to achieve a perfect world in a technological corporation. Thus, people desire their children to grow up in a safe, healthy, and educational environment, which they consider a utopian one. To solve this problem, the international community has developed the 2030 Agenda, which contains specific Sustainable Development Objectives; these goals will harness revolutionary technological breakthroughs that will benefit everyone in society, including the poor. However, to attain these lofty and revolutionary objectives, individuals must be able to pioneer daring and strong ideas and open-minded partnerships, therefore establishing an atmosphere that is favorable to life.
Conclusion
In conclusion, an ideal society would be one with little or no conflict. The vigorous enforcement of justice results from the presence of firm and fair leaders who vigorously maintain the law and citizens who welcome intrinsic variety while also supporting the expected growth of their people within it. As previously said, only a concerted, joint effort on the part of leaders and individuals would be able to bring about this ideal society. At the same time, a perfect society does not exist, and as a result, society should strive to achieve a balance between the two schools of thought to succeed. Since there is nothing intrinsic in man’s psychological makeup, thence, no inherent fault in his nature or original sin precludes him from being perfection, or at the very least much improved if the social framework that molds character is correctly reordered.
Works Cited
Bertolami, Orfeu. “Utopia: Utopian and Scientific.” Available at SSRN 3874980 (2018). P. 1-5).
Claeys, Gregory. “Dystopia.” The Palgrave Handbook of Utopian and Dystopian Literatures. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2022, p. 53-64.
Hasbullah Sofian, and Muhammad Fadjri. “An Analysis Of The Social Value In Novel From Suzzane Collins Entitled The Hunger Games.” Indonesian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, vol. 1, no. 1, 2020, pp. 1-10.
Midgley, Mary. Beast and man: The roots of human nature. Routledge, 2021, pp. 1-279, 29.
Steele, Wendy. Planning Wild Cities: Human–Nature Relationships in the Urban Age. (2nd edition). Routledge, 2020, p. 1-158.
Stock, Adam. Human Nature and Politics in Utopian and Anti-Utopian Fiction. 2021, p. 696-699.