How a Utopian Education Paves the Way for the Usurpation of the Family

Abstract

Raphael’s statements that nothing is private in Utopia and that “the whole island [of Utopia] is like a single family” lead one to consider whether the Utopian system of education and habituation is an attempt to undo the natural connections that join parents to children. While Raphael argues that the community can only supersede the individual once these natural ties have been loosened and the role of the family been usurped, More recognizes that the love that serves as the foundation of family life should be allowed to flourish because it is also the proper foundation of an entire society.