In Defense of Utopia by Lyman Tower - Essay Example

Utopia ‘In Defense of Utopia’ by Lyman Tower Sargent talks about the need for utopia for human beings. In the article, Sargent asserts that despite the potential danger in the belief in Utopia, it is a vital aspect of the human life. While is utopia usually used to mean a perfect society in which there is purity and exclusivity, the utopia that Sargent proposes does not seek a perfect world, but one that seeks progress and a hope for a better life for the people of the world. Her emphasis is on the fact that utopia does not mean a perfect society, but a better society. Sargent asserts that if people stop believing in the better life, then they lose the quality that makes them human. He also goes on to assert that the idea of utopia itself is not at fault. What is at fault is the idea that there is one particular type of utopia that brings about the correct way of life. Sargent demonstrates that there are three faces of utopia, which are the design or theory, the utopian movements and the utopian studies (Sargent 11-17). In the dissertation, Lyman Tower Sargent argues that it is important, and indeed essential for humanity to have hopeful visions. The author believes that the desire or hope for a brighter future is an important part of the human experience or the human life. It is important according to her, for human beings to have positive visions of the future so that they can have an enjoyable life. Lyman Tower Sargent also argues that when people lose the vision for a brighter future or what he refers to as utopia, they lose their humanity. According to Sargent, the utopian spirit is the cause or the foundation of many social movements, mainly the liberation movements. These are movements that seek the inclusion of people as opposed to those that seek to have some members of the society excluded (Sargent 11-17). The writer’s purpose in writing the text was to demonstrate that contrary to popular belief, utopia is a state that can be achieved if only people would make the effort. The writer also intended to show that there are many benefits that can be derived if people strive to attain utopia. One such benefit is that the constitutional rights of people would be respected. People would have the freedom to pursue their endeavors provided that the activities they choose to engage in are within the confines of the law. The writer therefore was seeking to convince people of the importance of seeking to attain a better life for themselves and for all the members of the society. Lyman Tower Sargent is a professor of Political Science. He has written a great deal on the utopian ideal and as a result of his work, he has received the distinguished scholar award for the Communal Studies Association and for the Society for Utopian Studies. This makes him a credible source of information and ideas on the utopian ideal. The definition of utopia presents many problems, as different people come up with different ways of defining utopia. Utopia has been defined as an imaginary place of existence where there are perfect systems (social and political) and where people exist in perfect harmony and in a perfect state. In the attempt to define utopia, several other terms such as dystopia and anti-utopia come about. Most people therefore simplify utopia to mean the good and desirable world, while dystopia represents the bad and undesirable world. Sargent however defines utopia not as a perfect society, but a better society that is capable of evolving and embracing change that is for the benefit of the people. This ability to change and seek the improvement of people (the quest for a utopian society) is therefore the main motivation for a majority of the social movements. This is because the social movements seek to change the society for the betterment of all the members of the society. Most of these social movements advocate for the inclusion of people viewed as a minority such as black women to the mainstream society. The term dystopia is also an important element in the definition of the ideal or utopia. Dystopia refers to a society in which people are repressed by the authorities and the society is state controlled. In such a society, human beings overuse or abuse technology due to their inability to cope with the advancements in technology. This situation arises where technology has evolved at a faster rate than the human spirituality. The dystopian society differs from the utopian one because the basic foundations of the utopian society are harmony and the betterment of the welfare of all in the society. The dystopian society however presents a situation in which the vision and hope for a better future with improved conditions for all in the society are pushed back through the stimulation of fear in the people. This fear is the fear of the consequences of the way the society acts. The concept of dystopia is therefore used to discourage people from the pursuit of utopia. The two are however fundamentally different as utopia always seeks the common good and better future for the society. The term paradise on the other hand is used to refer to a place of positive existence that is harmonious and timeless, and that is not subject to the misery brought about by civilization. It is a place where people are content as opposed to utopia where people seek the improvement of the society. Sargent therefore uses the term utopia to refer to the main motivation in the human life. he presents the idea of utopia as a possible blue print to a better society in which people are constantly seeking the improvement of the conditions in which they live in. this is because human beings constantly desire and dream of a better future, a better society, and have the desire for harmony. There are different types of utopia that are presented. One is the type that asserts that a better and perfect life for all is the only possible life, while the other does not seek perfection, but rather seeks progress for all humankind. Central to the idea of utopia is the belief that there is an innate desire in the human beings for a better life and a better society. The utopia presented by Sargent is seen to have three faces. Most people however concentrate their definitions of utopia on the utopian designs. This means that movements based on utopian ideals are often ignored. It is however true that not all movements are based on the utopian ideals and not all the utopian designs can be put into practice (Sargent 11-17). Utopia is a beneficial idea, and its benefits can be felt based on how the utopian ideas and beliefs are put into practice. The ideas of utopia are put into practice in an attempt to reach an ideal society. The image of what an ideal society is however constantly changing. This presents an issue to the concept of utopia. The ideas of utopia should however continually be practiced as people strive to achieve the ideal conditions despite the changing times. When the ideas of utopia are being put in place to achieve a better society, such as the social movements which are aimed at improving the conditions of all in the society, then utopia becomes a beneficial ideal. Utopia as a beneficial ideal is seen when movements that seek equality within the society succeeds at removing or abolishing an oppressive social order or social hierarchy. It is also seen to work when people achieve social democracy and gradually begin to progress to a better society. There are assertions that utopia is a dangerous ideal. It is however more dangerous when the people in a given society lose hope and lose the vision of a better, more ideal, and harmonious society. The utopian idea has to assert itself within the confines of the existing social framework in order to provide solutions to the problems that are beyond the social framework as it exists. The utopia ideal however must avoid wholly concentrating on the future as too much concentration on the future means that it will not fulfill its quest for people to exist in a harmonious society with the prospects of a better future. The utopian ideals must also keep changing to align with the needs of the society. In the past in Native American societies, utopia promoted domestic and self sufficient models of economic production. They aimed to have private property abolished as private property was not seen to be for the good of the society. The societies also sought to live very simplified lives. In the present, the utopian ideals seek a better economic model of production and better social welfare for the people. People therefore ought to strive to create space for the realizations of the utopia that is presented or proposed by Sargent. This will allow people to have hopes for a better future that is not an abstract representation of an ideal that cannot be achieved. The idea of utopia has been successful in the past as seen in the cases where the colonized, because of the conviction that they and their resources were being exploited were able to overcome the situation. The colonizers were also in search of utopia where they could secure a better future for themselves and for their future generations. This was because they believed in a fair and just situation where people had the freedom to make choices, and where the people did not live in fear of oppression. The various social movements that have taken place, such as the quest for equal opportunities and rights for the black woman have been based on the ideal of utopia. The success of these movement shows that utopia is successful if applied in the proper manner (Claeys 64). Utopia is an ideal that has been achieved in the past as seen in the various successful movements. These movements have had the main purpose of fighting for the rights of the minorities who had been denied their rights. The movements have achieved success showing that it is possible to continually improve the state of things in the world. People should therefore strive to ensure that they achieve a better and more balanced society that is free of discrimination (Morsink 2). Utopia is therefore a state of being that can be achieved through the combined effort. The achievement of this ideal will have many benefits for all the members of the society as they will enjoy the benefits of living in a better environment. Personal interests must however be put aside in order for this ideal situation to be achieved. It is important to evaluate different ideas from different people such as the military to be able to come up with ways in which people can go about in implementing the ideas that will help in the realization of utopia. I chose this topic as it is a topic that generates a lot of debate. It is also a topic that is of great interest to me. While all people want a better life, some are hesitant to use the term utopia to describe their ideal life and ideal society. It follows then that the definition of utopia is problematic for most people. While some people believe that it is possible to achieve an ideal state of being, others believe that such an endeavor would be in vain. This makes it a topic of great interest with different authors expressing different ideas on the topic. The specific text analyzed was however as was instructed. The text was however very appropriate for this topic as the author, Lyman Tower Sargent, is a proficient writer who has specialized in the issues to do with utopia. The author is therefore a great source of information on various ideas on utopia. After re-reading the text, I researched further to find out more on the definitions and the ideas of utopia, as well as writings of authors who are in support of the idea. Reading the texts however provided much of the information about the various ideas and issues around utopia that formed the content of the paper. The main idea I got from the research I conducted is that if properly defined, utopia is an achievable ideal. The examples were obtained from the texts themselves, and from other material that addresses the topic of utopia. Throughout the writing of the essay, I constantly found evidence and examples that indicate that the achievement of utopia is possible when utopia is defined as society that seeks progress and the hope for a brighter future. Works cited Claeys, Gregory. The Cambridge Companion to Utopian Literature. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010. Print Morsink, Johannes. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Origins drafting and intent. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1999. Print. Sargent, Lyman. ‘In Defense of Utopia’ Diogenes February. 2006, 53(1)11-17. Read More