The Utopian Tradition

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The Utopian Tradition

            Both  William Morris and B. F. Skinner appear to have dreams of an ideal society where each person is both happy, and free from any encumbrances that have the potential of denying their happiness.  In “News From Nowhere,” Morris brings the reader into this utopian society by the retelling of what appears to be a dream, or maybe even an unexplained excursion into the future.  Skinner, on the other hand, in his book, “Walden Two,” brings the reader to a utopian society by traveling to a remote area in the country.  His utopia is not a dream, or an experience of a future society, rather it is an experiment in utopian living being conducted in the midst of our contemporary society, yet remotely removed.

            Both Skinner and Morris tell of similar societies.  Skinner’s utopia is presently created in a remote place in the United States, while Morris’ society is created in the future, and takes up the entirety of what we now call England.  And, in many ways these societies have similar beliefs and standards.  Each society is visited by a narrator that is unaware of the design of the society.  They often question the validity of the practices of the society.  By this means each author is able to explain why they have created, at least in a novel, what they consider to be a utopian society, and why they believe it will work.

            Of course much of what they write is based on ideals, otherwise it would not be utopian.  However, it also appears to be based on the belief that mankind is basically good, and only needs an environment that will continuously and consistently bring out the good in man.  In this ideal situation much of what we consider essential to a good and growing society is felt to be a waste of time, if not simply disruptive, to these utopian societies.

            One aspect of these societies that is readily apparent is their attitude toward history.  Very little weight is given to the value of history.  In Nowhere history is ignored as either false or valueless if it does not somehow edify or glorify the values their utopian society espouses.  As a result, the whole of the 19th Century is discounted as valueless history, and therefore not worth studying.  Morris often refers to the 19th Century as a time when society practiced or created things that did not adhere to his idea of a utopian society.  Medieval times, on the other hand, speak of an era of simplicity both in lifestyle and environment.  This outlook on life is what their utopian society has attained, and any society in history that has had a similar experience is worth researching in order to come up with anything that will help better the present society.

            Nowhere was a society of peace and relaxation.  Everyone was happy and fulfilled.  There was no real reason to study history since, “…it is mostly in periods of turmoil and strife and confusion that people care much about history.”  (Morris, p. 25)  History was seen as something to discover and explore as a distraction.  It was not seen as something that would add much insight or value to their way of living.

            Skinner’s utopia had a similar view of history.  His view, however, was a bit more direct.  “History is honored in Walden Two only as entertainment.  It isn’t taken seriously as food for thought.”  (Skinner, p. 106)  All training belonged to the community.  It was felt that nothing in history could give them any more insight than what was already present in those who lived in the society today.  Their “Golden Age” was now; not some time in the future, and certainly not some time in the past.

            This way of thinking also enveloped their philosophy on education.  In both Nowhere and Walden Two education was primarily the result of working and living with others.  Experiences, ideas, and the way of doing things was passed down from one age to the other simply by observation and example.  “Education in Walden Two is part of the life of the community.” (Skinner, p. 110)  In Nowhere it was said, “…our children learn whether they go through a ‘system of teaching’ or not.” (Morris, p. 24)

            Books were seen as more of a way of entertainment than for purposes of education.  In Walden Two, however, there was seen some value in the information given through books.  In keeping with their feelings about history, and their belief that “now” was the Golden Age, the library was not a collection of old books, magazines and other “ancient junk.”  “We subtract from our shelves as often as we add to them.  The result is a collection that never misses fire.  We all get something vital every time we take a book from the shelves.”  (Skinner, p. 112)

            In Nowhere there seemed to be a fear that children could “take to books” too early.  They felt it was more important for children to imitate “’…their elders, and when they see most people about them engaged in amusing work,…that is what they want to be doing; so I don’t think we need fear having too many book-learned men.’” (Morris, p. 25)  In this way people discovered what best suited them and their abilities.  As a result there was very little waste of both human and material resources. 

            The former way of education, to the Nowhere society, was one of the progenitors of class struggle and inequality.  They felt that too much education was not only a waste but fostered an arrogance among those educated.  They felt the educated were both pretentious and boring.

In both Walden Two and Nowhere, formal education was not a priority.  To force education on anyone seemed a waste of time, and foolish.  It was their belief that people learned what they wanted to learn, no matter what the environment.  So, a lot of time, money and effort could be spent on forcing people to go to school, where they only learn things that interest them, or each individual could pursue his own interests and learn those things that interested him or her.  The latter way made much more sense in these utopian societies.  They, after all, were conducive for learning by doing and watching.

            The growth of knowledge, in both societies, was regarded as a natural outcome of their view on education.  Knowledge was not pursued for the sake of knowledge.  Rather, it was the result of experience and observation.  Nowhere saw knowledge as progressive only if it lent itself to the ideals of their society.  The Nineteenth Century, therefore, did not add to the progressive aspect of knowledge.  Many historians saw the industrial growth of that century as a time when society moved forward.  But the people of Nowhere thought differently.  “But as to the great improvement of the nineteenth century, I don’t see it.”  (Morris, p. 36)

            By everyone teaching everyone else knowledge grew in a more pure way.  There were no prejudices that affected a teacher’s slant on what was supposed to be learned.  Each individual was free to take what he or she saw as important, and virtually discard the rest.  In the overall picture it was felt that this left only that which was essential to knowledge.  This is why, for instance, in Nowhere’s society, each person experienced a variety of work environments.  No one was expected to be exclusively bound to one trade, profession or job.  With a variety of experience in these varied jobs came a greater expanse of knowledge.

            Growth of knowledge came from the philosophy of education, which was to teach how to learn, rather than learning a lot of unneeded facts.  Once the children found out how to learn they would take the ability to teach themselves through their lifetime.  Learning was not something gained  in twelve to sixteen years of school; it is a lifetime experience.  Besides, why waste learning on the young when they were less apt to enjoy learning, or understand its value.  By making learning a self-disciplined aspect of life each individual would be able to learn through his or her life.

            Science too was not a pursuit of new knowledge as much as it was the natural extension of what was already known.  There were no classrooms that taught the sciences and how science was used in everyday life.  The experience of science was a part of the everyday learning experience.  “Our laboratories are good because they are real…. We teach anatomy in the slaughterhouse, botany in the field, genetics in the dairy and poultry house, chemistry in the medical building…” (Skinner, p. 112) 

            There was really no great affection for science as a way to improve society.  After all it was scientific advancement that made the nineteenth century possible.  The industrial revolution, with all its waste, all its inhumanity in the work factories, all its damage to man’s environment, was not something science could put forward with pride as one of it’s greatest achievements.  Nowhere, therefore, had little to say about science.  What was already known, and what was needed to stay alive and happy, was all that was necessary.  Walden Two accepted science as long as it was directed toward the betterment of society.  If man could gain more time for pleasurable pursuits as the result of science, then that aspect of science was acceptable.

Works Cited

 

Morris, William.  News From Nowhere. 1890. Ed. James Redmond.  London UK: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1970.

Skinner, B. F.  Walden Two.  New York: MacMillian Publishing Company, 1976.