Early Modern Utopian Writings and the Just Commonwealth

Abstract

This thesis sets out to examine the interplay between utopian theory and political practice through close readings of three key texts in the early modern Western utopian tradition, Thomas More’s foundational Utopia (1516), Francis Bacon’s New Atlantis (1626) and Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels (1726). It argues that early modern utopian literature offers two competing approaches to the imagining of an ideal society: the practical-oriented approach initiated by Bacon, and the moderate, sceptical approach inspired by Plato’s Republic and Ciceronian civil philosophy, which is here represented by More and Swift. Modern utopias are widely understood as blueprints for social reform by scholars such as Karl Popper (1945), Krishan Kumar (1987) and Ruth Levitas (2009). This thesis argues, instead that this modern concept of utopia emerges when utopias adopt the Baconian approach and break away from the classical heritage. More broadly, this thesis aims to recover the value of the rich intellectual tradition of early modern utopian thinking; this includes its sceptical engagement with the project of utopianism. We can only understand our own desire for civic reform with a fuller understanding of this tradition. In Chapter One, I argue that More’s Utopia is a cautionary tale against the passion for the ideal society. The description of utopia is preceded by a dialogue on whether philosophers should adapt to political reality or uphold their idea of justice without compromise. The dialogical form, with its openness, encourages critical assessment of the zealous character Hythlodeaus who longs for Utopia, and his position is further undermined when his monologue on the best commonwealth becomes fraught with difficulties and contradictions. Chapter Two argues that Bacon turns utopian literature into an applicable blueprint for political reform and his New Atlantis thus marks a turning point for utopian literature. Concerned about the religious conflict in his day, Bacon advocates a religiously tolerant and charitable utopia. For the first time, utopia is conceived as a solution to a specific problem instead of the best commonwealth. In Chapter Three, I argue that Gulliver’s Travels criticizes the Baconian approach for abandoning the topic of the best commonwealth while simultaneously reappraising the Platonic ideal. Despite his apparent endorsement of the classical tradition, Swift is in fact deeply sceptical of whether the return to a Platonic approach is feasible when the understanding of man and society has been radically reshaped by modern science.