An Imperfect Nature

In Utopia, Thomas More has strong aims to prove and illustrate the events that were taking place at the time. In contrast to the European society in which he lived, in Utopia he writes about human nature, about naturally occurring politics:

It is a kind of allegory, showing society—a society in Europe—and its capitalist orders without showing this society—a society in Utopia—in terms of cultural issues, political engagements, order of life, and other well-constructed social phenomena.

The idealization (in a sense, fictionalization) of society conceals not only the existence of the author's aspirations but also the values of the society itself and of the societies in which it was written.

More's values and aspirations are actually revealed in his criticism of the European monarchy and hierarchy of his time. All these criticism issues are sociological terms that he summarizes the perfect and imperfect society at first glance.

Therefore, Utopia is a form of the novel and also has a utopian tradition. In the period when art did not exist directly at all, Utopia was constructed by More as an indigenous narrative text, proving the inequalities of the period, the issues of money and religion, and other social situations.

For instance, 'Hythloday' is a character in Utopia, not an adjective that defines the book, because the novel touches on political and social realities and corruption. In Utopia, thanks to Hythloday, we can see this absurdism, nonsense issue (as it means nonsense in Greek), and I firmly believe that this is a reason why there would not be any perfect society: “The nonsense, the nowhere, the nowhence.”

Within all this criticism, absurdism, fiction, and socially backgrounded norms, Utopia made us learn all kinds of social facts. By these facts, it is easily understood that if there were any perfect society, could we be able to live in it? Would not it be at variance with us? Could it exist naturally?

Well, as More indicates, the answer is ‘no’. It does not matter in which universe we breathe, we live; the ground does not matter. What matters is humanity’s existence. In this existence, we are living with our imperfect nature.

And all we are is unique with our imperfect sides. What is more stressed out is perfection: Perfection is nonsense, nowhere, and hence, as Hyhloday indicates. In this indication, we pave the way for our imperfection nature.