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How did Utopia address poverty and hunger?
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utopia
Sir Thomas More, oil on panel by Hans Holbein the Younger, 1527; in the Frick Collection, New York City.
In Thomas More’s Utopia, poverty and hunger are eliminated through the total abolition of private property and the implementation of a communal economic system. By removing the concept of private ownership, the society ensures that no individual can hoard resources at the expense of others.12
The Utopian approach to resource management includes:
- Communal Ownership: Land, houses, and goods are held in common. Money has been abolished, and citizens are free to take what they need from common storehouses.21
- Shared Labor: All citizens work according to their abilities, including mandatory service on communal farms for at least two years. Because everyone contributes and lives simply, citizens only need to work a few hours a day to meet their needs, leaving ample time for leisure.12
- Equitable Distribution: By consuming according to their needs rather than their wealth, the society prevents the disparity between the lavishly living nobility and the starving peasantry that More observed in his own time.12
This structure ensures that every member of the community is provided for, effectively eradicating want and poverty.1