Tales of Utopia Trivia Quiz

Answer: Philosopher-kings

Both Plato, and his famous student, Aristotle, believed that democracy was the worst form of government. Instead, they proposed that children who showed goodness at an early age be educated to rule as philosopher-kings. Plato had the opportunity to put his plan into motion when he was invited to oversee the education of a group of selected individuals in Syracuse. Even though his experiment was deemed a failure, it must be remembered that Aristotle's famous student, Alexander the Great, did achieve success - at least for a time.

Answer: Thomas More

In More's book, Utopia was a man made island that had been dug to separate the ideal society from the mainland; the settlement consisted of fifty-four cities, each with 6000 household units. Farming was the most important occupation; everyone was expected to participate and farm for two years at a time. All citizens, however, also learned another trade, such as weaving, metalworking, or carpentry. In this society, people wore the same type of clothing, ate their meals in a communal dining hall, and were expected to be tolerant of religious differences.

It is interesting to note that the name 'utopia' literally translates from the Greek meaning 'nowhere'. Many today still debate More's reason for writing the book. Was it simply a commentary on the society of the day? A satire? Religious controversy? It is well known that More did not agree with the Reformation movement; he eventually was tried, convicted of treason, and beheaded after refusing to recognize the religious supremacy of his king, Henry VIII.

Answer: True

Most religions describe some sort of heaven or paradise which is free from sin, pain, and death. In the traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, the paradise is a physical place, such as the Garden of Eden. Other religions, such as Buddhism and Hinduism, see the perfection as a state of mind, practising meditation in order to reach 'nirvana' (Buddhism) or 'moksha' (Hinduism), therefore ending the cycle of life and death.

Answer: Utopian Socialism

It did not take long for Marx and Engels to redefine their idea of the ideal society; in fact, even before "The Communist Manifesto" was published, they were beginning to rethink their vision. Believing that other philosophers, such as Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, wanted to see the proletariat rise above the bourgeoisie rather than maintaining an equal society, they began to formulate a new idea, which they called 'scientific socialism' because it was based on the scientific method. Rather than helping to find equality between the classes, the theory was based on the idea of ending the struggles between them in the best way possible.

The term 'utopian socialism' continued to be used by others who formulated plans for the creation of ideal, cooperative societies.

Answer: Every person in the community shared in every task.

One of the characteristics of a nineteenth century utopian society was the total abolition of the use of money. Goods were distributed equally, and while all citizens were expected to work, they only did work that they enjoyed to do! Not only that, but it was expected that there would be leisure time, when other activities, such as music, art, and the pursuit of knowledge, were enjoyed. In fact, there were some utopian communities that became known as scientific centers of learning.

In the picture is an example of the truck system of payment to the workers, whereby they received tokens for total or partial payment of their work. The use of this method of payment sometimes became abusive to the workers, as their tokens were only good at the truck shop, which was usually owned by the same person as the mill. A series of Truck Acts in Britain ensured that workers would be paid in legal tender currency.

Answer: Textile

New Lanark, Scotland, was selected as the site for a cotton mill due to its proximity to the River Clyde; in the early days of the Industrial Revolution, machines were powered by water, so some factories were built in remote locations so as to be near a power source. Founded in 1786 by David Dale, the settlement was eventually taken over by a group that included Robert Owen, who had married Dale's daughter. Upset by the plight of the children in the community, Owen opened an infants' school in 1817, which would be the equivalent of a preschool in the United States.

When his partners became concerned about the amount of money that was spent on welfare programs, Owen bought them out. The mills at New Lanark operated until 1968.

Answer: Mill Town

In the United Kingdom, where the Industrial Revolution began, towns were commonly built around factories where textiles were manufactured. Because the early factories depended on the use of water to power machines, they could be built in rather isolated areas.

It was necessary to build communities that would not only house workers, but also provide needed goods and services for them. A mill town could also be called a mill village or a company town, because not only the mill, but also the housing and stores belonged to one company.

Many mill towns were far from utopian, with workers complaining of receiving shoddy, overpriced goods at the company stores.

Answer: Pennsylvania

Faced with religious persecution in Germany, Johann Georg Rapp, the leader of the Harmony Society, brought several of his followers to Pennsylvania and purchased land there in 1804. They lived in Harmony for about ten years before they moved on to Indiana, founding the city of New Harmony. New settlers were welcomed.

However, they tended to disrupt the harmony of the settlement. Some complained that even though New Harmony was publicized as an model society, Rapp and his family were more equal than everyone else.

In addition, new arrivals were not always in tune with the religious beliefs of the community and didn't share the same cultural identity. Rapp eventually sold New Harmony to Robert Owen, and his group returned to Pennsylvania, where they hoped to live more peacefully amidst like-minded people and continue their communal way of life.

Answer: Cockaigne

With the social structure being as rigid as it was during the Middle Ages, it stands to reason that the peasants would dream of a place where there was plenty of food and they didn't have to work so hard. In the thirteenth century, the French poem called "The Land of Cockaigne" described a place where "the houses were made of barley sugar and cakes, the streets were paved with pastry, and the shops supplied goods for nothing". Many European nations had a similar area; in Italy it was called ""Paese della Cuccagna", and in Spain it was called "Jauja".

Incidentally, all of the choices in this question refer to 'perfect places'. Atlantis is believed to have been the perfect state described by Plato, El Dorado was the legendary lost city of gold connected with the Spanish in the New World, and Arcadia was the unspoiled wilderness state in ancient Greece where people lived in harmony with nature.

Answer: "Peach Blossom Spring"

"Peach Blossom Spring" is a tale that describes the discovery of a perfect world accidentally made by a fisherman. The land was fertile, and the people lived in abundance, in harmony with nature, untroubled by news of strife or contact with the outside world. After visiting the ideal society for a week, the fisherman returned home, and could never again find the perfect place.