The traditional definition of utopia is “an imagined place or state of things in which everything is perfect.” The traditional definition of perfect is “having all the required desirable elements, qualities, or characteristics; as good as it is possible to be.” The traditional definition of good is “to be desired or approved of.” Used as a noun, good is defined as “that which is morally right; righteousness.” Combining all of these definitions, we can expand on the word utopia to mean “the morally right place or state of things that have all the required desirable elements, qualities, or characteristics.”
Throughout history, cultures have vehemently disagreed on what is “morally right.” This disagreement has been the cause of countless wars and conflicts. Furthermore, cultures have disagreed on what is desirable. Some societies prefer a simple, minimalist lifestyle while others prefer a life of fancy gadgets and endless to-do lists. These lifestyles do not interact well. Buddhists encourage denouncing worldly possessions and blame desire as the root cause of suffering. Scientists and mathematicians believe the desire to improve one's quality of life is the driving force towards progress. To the scientist, stagnation and a lack of intellectual curiosity is reprehensible, regardless of the motives.
Unfortunately, the traditional definition of utopia confines any idyllic social structure to fiction. There has never been a singular society that incorporates the entire global population because of the vast differences in the dominant values of a geographical region given a particular time period. Identifying an updated definition of the word utopia is an important first step to realistically working towards global peace. Understanding the motives of a population while having clear, realistic goals will maximize the efficacy of long-term social programs. If an updated definition of utopia is to be found, it must account for the great variances among cultural values. No matter what set of values are chosen as the “most important” in a particular society, they are still experiencing their humanity. All humans have the ability to learn and understand active (dominant) and dormant cultural norms. Fostering an understanding of all cultural norms will make it possible for human beings to relate to one another in ways that may not otherwise be possible.
The goal of social engineering is to manage Earth's limited resources in such a way that would enable maximum “freedom, prosperity, and happiness” for a target population (Wikipedia, Social Engineering – Political Science). If the target population is the entire world, this goal indeed seems fictitious considering the vast cultural diversity found on this planet. Although the transitional period may be extremely difficult, it is the crucial first step towards a healthy universal government.
The fact remains that forcing entire groups of people to perform actions against their will is never a permanent solution regardless of the message. By dispassionately participating in cultural exchanges in ways that appeal to the basic values we all have in common, entire populations can be influenced enough to rethink their attitudes and solve problems with creativity rather than resorting to violence. This must be accomplished by mutual cultural exchanges rather than by one culture asserting dominance over another by way of a forced student-teacher relationship. Separate cultures exist because they place more value on some cultural norms than others, and over time, they socialize and formalize their group arrangements. No matter what cultural norms are chosen in a particular society, they are still experiencing their humanity, and that is the common ground we all share. By appealing to one or several strong cultural norms in a geographical region, we can teach that population about the motives of other cultures and desensitize them to what would otherwise be completely foreign.
I already know of more edits I would make to this but as I've heard before, finished is better than perfect, so for right now, just posting this an achievement for me.
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