Date of Award

2018

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Humanities

First Advisor

Langston, Douglas

Area of Concentration

Philosophy

Abstract

In this thesis, we utilize the work of Dr. Robert Nozick (Anarchy, state, and Utopia) and Sir Thomas More (Utopia) to draw larger conclusions about the differing philosophical foundations of individualist and communitarian conceptions of what constitutes an ideal state. In the first chapter we deal with the background of each philosopher, focusing primarily on Thomas More’s experience as a public servant in Tudor England and how this may have influenced his philosophy. In the second chapter we discuss a variety of subjects related to each philosopher’s conception of the ideal state, these include: individual and social responsibility, ownership of the product of one’s labor and pride. In the final chapter we make a critical analysis of both Philosophers and their ideal states. This includes listing several scenarios in which the practical application of Nozick’s philosophy might undercut his libertarian intentions, as well some features of More’s Utopia which might not be considered so ideal today. Finally, we conclude with some notes on how the discussion we have had relates to the larger philosophical distinctions between these types of ideal state. We focus on the different state-level applications of negative and positive responsibility as well the manner in which each state has a different idea of social and individual responsibility. The thesis then concludes with some notes on the danger of monopolies and how this discussion relates to current political events such as the election of Donald Trump and the passage of supply side tax reform.

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