There is this new show coming out called Utopia, which is a reality TV show in which a group of people are given the chance to build a society from the ground up to try and create their vision of a Utopia, and in the previews the people answer questions about various different social and moral issues and if they should or shouldn’t be allowed in a Utopian society. Such as if there should be guns, and what role if any should religion play, and one of the questions is about love/marriage and monogamy vs free love/polygamy.
Now being that the show hasn’t actually come out yet (and honestly I probably won’t watch it) I don’t know how it will be set up, and I gather that the people can make up any rules they want for their Utopian society, but whenever I hear the question realizing to the marriage/love issue my own response is always that in a true Utopian society it should be a question of personal choice.
If you want to be monogamous than be monogamous, if you want to be polygamous than be polygamous. Everyone shouldn’t be forced to conform to the one individuals personal preferences.
Now in theory I don’t actually believe creating a Utopia would ever be possibly without it inevitably turning into a dystopia but for arguments sake, this show got me thinking, if I where to create a Utopia how would it operate?
My utopia would be based upon personal, individual freedom and choice. There would be no actual ruling governing body, no one to interfere with the lives of individuals, or try and play the role of parent, or moral police, or protect us from ourselves.
There would be a basic agreed upon code of conduct and understood consequences for breaking that code.
And the code of conduct would follow along the basic rules of:
No Murder or influencing harm upon another unless in the act of self-defense, defense of another or defense of personal property
No vandalizing personal property
No Stealing
Though I would allow dueling in my Utopia because I have always favored the idea of the dual as a very efficient means of settling disputes, and as part of my general libertine view, if two consenting adults agree to engage in a fight knowing the possible risks to themselves, than why should it be anyone elses concern?
There are proper rules of etiquette in a dual to ensure that it is indeed fair and that both parties are equally matched.
We would have a lot less layers and frivolous lawsuits if people could resolve their issues simply by whipping out their pistols or sabres.
Also people might be less inclined to engage in disputes over such petty things if indeed they stakes where so high, and instead of thinking you might come out a millionaire, it would simply be a matter of you possibly living or dying.
On the question of religion, there would be no organized religion, no temples or churches, religion would have no political clout and influence. Each individual would be free to worship whatever they desired within the privacy of their own homes.
And obviously on the question of love and marriage, there would be no law telling you who you could or couldn’t marry. Gay marriage, heterosexual marriage, monogamous marriage, polygamous marriage, all would be allowable.
I have actually recently been reading this interesting book about the early settlement of Iceland, and because of the uniqueness of the landscape of Iceland itself Iceland was able to develop a very unique social and government structure for itself that differed from most of the rest of Europe.
For one thing the early Icelanders were not under the rule of a king, they where all free people, and all had the ability and right to become landowners, but though they really where not under any rulership they still had created a system of law for themselves.
In many ways I felt that the early Icelandic settlement had an almost Utopic aspect to it, though of course, (particularly to our modern standards) it wasn’t perfect and it could still be harsh at times. It did have a survival of the fittest aspect to it.
But still the idea of law without an actual governing/ruling body is something which I am drawn to.
Labyrinth of the Mind 