Slavery In Today's Utopian Society

Utopian society has slaves, also referred to as “bondmen,” and three possibilities exist as to how the bondmen are destined to a life of labor. First, these humans could once have been a Utopian citizen, but he/she severely broke a law, and then are “not only in continual work and labor, but also in bands” (106). For example, if a citizen leaves their town without a permit more than once, that individual receives the punishment of slavery. The first time a citizen is caught travelling without permission, he is disciplined, but “if he be taken that fault again, he is punished with bondage” (83). Second, a “poor laborer in another country” (107) can choose to come live as a slave in Utopia. Third, the slaves could have been captured in war. Instead of killing the enemy, Utopians capture the enemy and spare their life. So, slaves constantly work, and they cannot escape this lifestyle.
Bondmen are considered inferior to the Utopian citizens. They make bondmen complete the filthy but necessary tasks of society because “they permit not their citizens to accustom themselves to the killing of beasts... neither they suffer any thing that is …show more content…
Through his inclusion of the slaves that break the laws, he realizes that no matter what, someone will always break the law because as humans, we are not born good. If Utopia bases its economy on agriculture, most of the Utopians’ food derives from produce, society could not continue without slaves. Utopians refuse to butcher their own meat, so the slaves have to do it. By including this, More recognizes that slaves will never cease to exist in Utopian society, revealing to us that More knows the human impulse to do evil. However, he also observes the human ability to do good. Many citizens in this book abide by Utopia’s rules. When placed in a structured society, More believes humans can follow the rules without rebelling, and humans can find the merit in the