Utopia and Gattaca
Thomas More’s 16th Century text Utopia, written against the historical background of a medieval England plagued by problems of class division and social injustice, continues to reflect the importance of a government which ensures the safety and security of its citizens. So while More’s text was written as a possible alternative to a feudal world in which corrupt power of King and lords resulted in dysfunctional social, political and economic systems, we have to be careful that the satirical and critical elements incorporated in this text DOES NOT result in our own citizens questioning the laws and regulations that our government has instituted to maintain public order.
We must be aware that More’s use of countless satirical elements in Book 1 such as the name Brames Nonsenso literally meaning ‘dispenser of nonsense’, Utopia meaning ‘no place’ can undermine the seriousness of his constructed ideal, therefore resulting in the necessary censorship of the entire Book 1. This decision is based on the fact that Book One is where Thomas More catalogues the flaws of an authoritarian monarchy and a hierarchical, social system, which could consequently lead our citizens to draw parallels between their own government’s use of its political authority to enforce adherence to its laws and the feudal government of the 16th Century. So while we might want to use More’s critique of inefficient and corrupt monarchies to highlight and emphasise our own efficient systems which ensures that ‘the demolition of farms and the general decline of agriculture’ will never occur, we must make sure that our own citizens do not automatically assume that ‘prosperity for all’ can be achieved without laws that ensure citizens are compelled to contribute selflessly to the state. So it is the opinion that Book 1 should be censored to remove all elements that promote the interests of private citizens OVER the state.
Book Two on the other hand requires no alteration within the text as it is
We must be aware that More’s use of countless satirical elements in Book 1 such as the name Brames Nonsenso literally meaning ‘dispenser of nonsense’, Utopia meaning ‘no place’ can undermine the seriousness of his constructed ideal, therefore resulting in the necessary censorship of the entire Book 1. This decision is based on the fact that Book One is where Thomas More catalogues the flaws of an authoritarian monarchy and a hierarchical, social system, which could consequently lead our citizens to draw parallels between their own government’s use of its political authority to enforce adherence to its laws and the feudal government of the 16th Century. So while we might want to use More’s critique of inefficient and corrupt monarchies to highlight and emphasise our own efficient systems which ensures that ‘the demolition of farms and the general decline of agriculture’ will never occur, we must make sure that our own citizens do not automatically assume that ‘prosperity for all’ can be achieved without laws that ensure citizens are compelled to contribute selflessly to the state. So it is the opinion that Book 1 should be censored to remove all elements that promote the interests of private citizens OVER the state.
Book Two on the other hand requires no alteration within the text as it is