Basic HTML Version
manufacturers would go out of busi–
ness. The lock and key industry
would be hard hit. Tens of thou–
sands of securi ty guards would lose
thei r jobs. Police departments would
shrink dramatically.
This is a superficial analysis of
only one aspect of such an altered
society. Add up all the drastic reno–
vations that would occur, and you
have a
new world!
Such
a
utopian world wou ld re–
quire a total reevaluation of the
structure of our society, our macro–
and micro-economic tbeories, ou r
political systems and tbe very social
fabric of our world.
It is no wonder that simply think–
ing about the possibility ofa perfect,
utopian society seems like idle and
foolish speculation. Could we think
any different1y?
Thinking About the
Unthinkable
Still, from time immemorial, phi–
losophers and writers have been
constructing utopías. The ancient
Greeks were fond of this exercise.
Aristophanes, in his play,
The
Birds,
out1ined a utopian city in the
sky. This play was a political sati re
directed against corrupt Athens.
Plato rigorous1y described his idea
of a scientifically constructed coop–
erative community.
In
The Republic,
he assumed that the perfect state
would be composed of three kinds
of people: wise philosophers to rule,
warriors to keep order and huge
masses ofworkers to produce.
Just at the end of the Middle
Ages in 1516, Thomas More wrote
his
Utopía,
the name of which has
come to labe1 any work attempting
to depict an ideal society. His uto–
pía, exist ing on an is1and, contained
fifty-four planned cities. Population
was kept constant; agriculture was
regulated. The products of the state
PLAIN TRUTH February 1973
were given directly lO the public in
community markets.
Religious allegories were a1so
popular. Augustine wrote bis
City of
God,
Bunyan his
Pilgrim's Progress,
and Tommaso Campanella his
City
of the Sun.
Campanella's book ad–
vocated rule by a priest-king. The
theme of the Middle Ages was to
find salvation, either individual or
collective, as the way lo a happy so–
ciety.
Then the Renaissance carne. In
Francis Bacon's
New Atlantis
( 1627), nature had been brought un–
der tbe control of man's bidding.
In
the ear1y 1800's, utopian literature
took a more practica! turn. Men like
Robert Owen and Charles Fourier
actually established model utopian
communities. Owen's New Har–
mony, Indiana, experiment
is
well–
known.
In
1872, Samuel Butler's
Erewhon
appeared. (Spelled backward, Erew–
hon resembles " nowhere.") The
book was a satire designed to con–
tras t and contradict Victorian
English standards.
Many other even more recent
utopian works, sorne taking a chi–
merical and foreboding look at so–
ciety, were produced . They include:
Looking Backward
by Edward
Bellamy (1888). The hero is trans–
p1anted to the Boston, Massacbu–
setts, ofA.
D.
2000.
The Time Machine
by H. G. Wells
(1895). The earth is divided between
master race and resentful serfs.
Brave New World
by Aldous Hux-
1ey (1932). Social stabi1ity is main–
tained by rigid population control.
Marriage is not allowed. There are
five possible castes
in
society.
Lost Horizon
by James Hilton
(1933). A valley is miraculous1y cut
off from severe Himalayan winters.
Society
is
based on benevolence.
Nineteen Eightyfour
by George
OrweU(1949). Life is lived under an
all-seeing despot called Big Brolher.
Walden Two
by B. F. Skinner
( 1948). A ulopian community is de–
scribed which improves itself by ap–
plication ofbiologica1 engineering.
There has been a literal ftood of
utopian writing in the 20th century.
But in all this literary and philo–
sophica1 outpouring, one utopian
system has generally been neglected
by scholars. That
is
the Messianic
utopian system discussed by the Old
Testament prophets.
The Neglected Utopia
It is tragic that the Old Testament
system has been neglected - for the
mechanics of the system deal most
realistically with the problems hu–
manity faces today.
In
essence, the
system presented by the prophets
describes a unique idea! Earth's
population is seen
in
possession of a
new and higher sense of values. The
system of divine law employed is
simple; but through a new method
of judicial interpretation and appli–
cation,
it
reaches into all aspects of
human life.
In this Messianic utopia, peoples
are free from the fears of crime, dis–
ease, and starvation. War has been
abolished. Family life ís strong.
The rulers of this utopian system
have control over nature so that
agricultura) output is abundant
worldwide. Because of a just and
equitable distribution system, there
is no reason for poverty. Racial bias
no longer exists, and there is no
class structure as ít is known today.
There is no system of taxation as
such. The population is assessed
only
lO percent of its income for all
tbe normal administrative, govern–
mental and educa tional needs.
Perhaps the most graphic way to
describe the workings of this ne–
glected system would be to take our
27