(503) Research: Utopia of Non-Technological Type and the Topic of Prostitution

Abstract Introduction The presented topic is not being studied in isolation. Instead, it is a moment in the author’s line of thought involving the issues of Malthusianism and Neo-Malthusianism, including contraception, as well as prostitution as such. Dividing utopia into the utopia of the ideal human will and the technological utopia is the key prerequisite for grasping this topic. The utopia of the ideal human will can also be referred to as the non-technological utopia. Objective a) Major works reflecting utopic thinking of the non-technological type will be compared as regards their attitude to the issues of sexology and prostitution. b) The main aspects of the terrain for contemplation of prostitution will be studied. Methods a) In particular the following authors and their works are analysed: Plato (Republic), Thomas More (Utopia), Tommaso Campanella (City of the Sun), Francis Bacon (New Atlantis). b) The ideological basis for approaching the topic of prostitution in the following traditions is briefly summarised: i. The ancient tradition. ii. The religious tradition (Roman Catholicism and Protestantism). iii. The tradition of the modern secular etatism (France of the 19th century). iv. The tradition of the socialist public model (the Soviet Union and the People’s Republic of China). v. The tradition of feminism, anarcho-feminism and the topic of sexual minorities. Results Sexology issues represent one of the major ideological axes of the non-technological utopia. From the perspective of undisputable polarity in non-technological utopic thinking, Tommaso Campanella on one side pleads for – expressed in modern terms – an almost bureaucratically controlled eugenic program in a free community of men and women outside the constraints of the traditionally perceived family, while Francis Bacon on the other side expressly emphasises chastity of a society wishing to identify itself as an ideal and utopic; this chastity is expressed ethically and institutionally by strict prohibition of polygamy and prostitution. Conclusions a) For the perception of non-technological utopias represented mainly by Thomas More and Francis Bacon, prostitution is a societal defect disqualifying the society morally in its foundations. b) Non-technological utopias are not independent from the era in which they are created: when considering sexology issues, including prostitution, utopic thinking of the non-technological type is not an original way of thinking. Disclosure No