Ontological Dichotomies: Capitalism, Anthropocentrism, and Slave States in Thomas More’s Utopia

Thomas More’s Utopia generated ground for which plenty of discussion surrounding models of socialism and societal structures occurred. Severely under-investigated is the relationship between the model of socialism present in Utopia to slavery. In this paper, building upon psychoanalytic, humanism, and critical black studies, I aim to offer not only a new understanding of how slave states operate but to then implicate More’s Utopia as one that falls under this framework. This framework posits that slave states are characterized via the preservation of ontological dichotomies which is exemplified through capitalism and anthropocentrism. More’s Utopia falls under this framework and is implicated due to commodity fetishism, value prescription, and general dishonor. Utilizing this framework moving forward may prove important in exposing quotidian and opaque manifestations of slavery that present as unharmful but are actively debilitating and subjecting the lives of many to violence.