Munira Omari

June 14, 2013

                                           Freedom or Control: Limiting the population in Utopias

                Utopias are created by those who lack the freedom or free will to do what they please. It is an idea of escape and a journey into a perfect life where everyone is free. From that thought and from reading Utopia by Thomas More, I was lead by confusing and yet interesting questions. If utopias are supposed to give people the freedom to do what they please, then why do they create rules and why do they emphasize population control? In a couple of the utopian novels and essays that I have read so far  this semester, such as Thomas More’s Utopia and C. P. Gilman’s  Herland, population control was the point that made me question the idea of a controlled population in a utopia.

                To find an answer to my question, I started by reading a previous research post written by Haylie Unger, “Desire: the Drive and Destruction of Utopias,” to help me get a better idea of the reasons behind creating a utopia, hoping that the information would lead me to understand the desire to control these societies as well as to control its population. Through my research, I have found useful information helping me to clearly understand the reasons behind the idea of a utopia. Unger indicates utopia is a product of human desire, mainly created to correct the state of humanity, to improve some of the living conditions and provide the basic needs of life in a society. She also argues that “limitation is important to the continuation of a utopian society.” She also points out that without maintaining control of the population, an overflow could result in an increase in crime and therefore the fall of that utopia. It was clear to me that she believed that in order to have a peaceful life in utopia, population and other desires needed to be controlled.

                 As I tried to find articles that contradicted with Unger’s research and ideas, I found many that support it. One interesting article in particular, Mario Petrucci’s Population: Time-Bomb or Smoke-Screen?, explains that “Overpopulation is implicated as a major causative factor of poverty and environmental degradation in the developing world.” In order to confirm this theory, I did some research on Wikipedia and found some interesting information on the subject of population control. For one, it clearly agrees with Petrucci’s thoughts on overpopulation and how necessary it is to control the population for a better world, and that without population control, we are creating an unsafe life for us and for our children. Many adhered to that idea and, as I broadened my research to include religion, I found that many religious figures defend population control.

                I have found myself at ease with the results of the research that I have gathered. In the beginning, I was angry that in utopian societies where freedom is claimed, controlled population seemed inhumane.  However, by the end of my research, I believe this assumption was a mistake. I have learnt that controlling population is important for the best of communities; this control helps keep people from succumbing to poverty, environmental problems and, most importantly, crime.  It is only fair to maintain a safe utopia in order for it to survive.

Works Cited

Brault, Rob. "Deep Space and Deep Ecology:Biocentric Justifications for Violence and Population Control in the Science Fiction of L. E. Modesitt, Jr.."Extrapolation. 48.1 (2006): n. page. Print.

Petrucci, Mario. "Population: Time-Bomb or Smoke-Screen?." Environmental Values. 9.3 (2000): n. page. Web. 14 Jun. 2013. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/30301748 >.

Unger, Haylie. "Desire: the Drive and the Destruction of Utopias." n. page. Web. 14 Jun. 2013. <http://coursesite.uhcl.edu/HSH/Whitec/LITR/5439utopia/models/resposts/2011/11rp1/rp1Unger.html>.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_population_control

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_views_on_birth_control