Modern Humanism

Boldly going where no one has gone before?
-An analysis of the humanist approach and values
present in Thomas More’s Utopia and Star Trek the Next
Generation in their quest to establish the most ideal
state.

‘While the word ‘utopia’ originated at a particular time and place, utopianism has existed in every cultural tradition. Everywhere utopianism has held out hope of a better life, and at the same time questions have been raised about both the specific improvements proposed and, in some cases, whether improvement is possible.’ (Sargent 126)

With so much material already available, it is amazing that the utopian genre has not become saturated, and with the rise of the dystopian and anti-utopian text from the late 19th century some may argue that it has. There are still those however who prescribe to the positive imagination of the utopia up to the present day and have hope for the future and human kind. This continuous reinvention and re-imagination of the utopian genre, like so many literary genres, has transferred from textual form to the modern on screen method of storytelling. Conceived five hundred years apart, this project looks at two utopian texts; Thomas More’s Utopia (novel) and Star Trek: The Next Generation (television series) as examples of this varied and rich field.
Aside from being utopian texts, both these texts also engage with humanist philosophy when imaging their ideal state. The aim of this project is to investigate the humanist philosophies of these texts and examine how/if the underlying philosophical and moral values that these texts are based on have changed in the centuries that separate these texts.

This project found that each of these texts’ philosophies’ foundations were based on faith in human reason, justice and ethics have remained the same. Although this project found many similarities in both texts approaches to problems such as inequality, respect and the betterment of human kind, the biggest divider of these texts was the place of religion in society.