In this blog post, I’d like to take a deep look at where Utopia actually exists and how we can move toward it.
For Utopia
“The wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat; the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together—and a little child will lead them. The cow and the bear will graze; their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. and a nursing child will play by the viper’s den, and a weaned child will put his hand into the viper’s lair. On my holy mountain, there will be no harm or destruction anywhere.”
This passage is one of the most famous verses in the Bible, the world’s most widely read book, and depicts the “Kingdom of God”—that is, a utopia—as envisioned by the prophet Isaiah. Since the beginning of time, humans have lived while envisioning a perfect world. Long ago, hunter-gatherers likely dreamed of lands abundant with game and fruit, while farmers envisioned lands where harvests were always bountiful and food was plentiful. In some eras, people projected their ideal worlds onto religious beliefs, while in others, they struggled to transform reality into a utopia. Even today, everyone lives dreaming of a perfect world, and “utopia” is used as a word that represents this universal aspiration.
The Birth of Utopia and the Struggle for Utopia
As might be expected, the word “utopia” did not exist from the very beginning. The first person to formally mention the concept was Thomas More, who coined the word by combining the Greek words “Ou” and “topos.” Its original meaning was “no-where,” or “a place that does not exist in this world,” and it is a homophone of “eu-topos,” which means “good place.” Taken together, utopia can be understood as “a land that exists nowhere, yet is dreamed of by everyone.” In his book ‘A Golden Book, as Pleasant as It Is Useful, Concerning the Best Form of Government and Utopia, a New Island’, Thomas More describes this ideal society through the narrative of a fictional character named “Raphael,” who introduces the small island of “Utopia” located near the American continent.
The Utopia depicted by More is a society where many people work together joyfully, the fruits of their labor are distributed fairly, and there is no competition arising from disparities in distribution. However, despite being a brilliant thinker capable of imagining such a society in England—a thoroughly capitalist class-based society—More did not become deeply involved in politics. As mentioned in ‘Utopia’, this was because he believed that, given the social structure of England at the time, his political advice would lack the power to change the system in the hands of those in power.
The first attempt to bring Utopia into reality was the proletarian revolution—an event in which Karl Marx’s socialist theory was realized under Lenin’s leadership. Marx argued that institutions created by the bourgeoisie—such as the military, religion, the police, and the state—must be abolished, and that a society must be built in which each individual owns the means of production and produces according to need. Lenin reinforced Marxism by arguing that a transitional period was necessary to temporarily maintain the military, police, and state so that the socialist system could overcome the threat of imperialism and achieve a perfect society.
However, under Stalin, this revolution degenerated into a statist and authoritarian one.
While the Soviet Union outwardly supported the proletarian revolution, it overdeveloped heavy industry, reduced food self-sufficiency, and created a wealth gap due to the nomenklatura (the privileged class within the communist system). Ultimately, due to undemocratic rule, the communist ideology took on the characteristics of a state-controlled political system. After 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev implemented social reform policies to resolve this contradiction, but these efforts failed, and the realization of their ideal society ultimately ended in failure. This “struggle for utopia,” which influenced the entire world and continues to have a significant impact on South Korea in particular, failed to fundamentally change the world, and utopia remains “a place that does not exist in this world.”
Hippocrates and Doctors
If you’re a doctor—or indeed, anyone—a corner of the utopia you dream of would likely include something like this: “A world where everyone can live in good health,” “a land of eternal happiness free from pain and suffering.” If we consider a doctor’s livelihood, perhaps this should be revised to something like “a world where we can safeguard everyone’s health.” However, one thing is certain: ensuring that as many people as possible can live as healthily as possible is a doctor’s dream and purpose in life.
Hippocrates, the ancient Greek scholar, is known as the “Father of Medicine” for establishing the practice of medicine as an independent discipline. In honor of his achievements, doctors take the “Hippocratic Oath” when they become licensed.
“Now that I have been granted permission to practice medicine, I solemnly swear to devote my life to the service of humanity.
I will show respect and gratitude to my teachers.
I will practice medicine with integrity and dignity.
I will place the health and life of my patients above all else.
I will keep secret all the private matters of my patients that they entrust to me.
I will uphold the noble traditions and honor of my profession.
I will regard my fellow physicians as brothers.
I will fulfill my duty to my patients regardless of race, religion, nationality, political affiliation, or social status.
I will respect human life as a sacred gift from the moment of conception.
Even under threat, I will not use my knowledge contrary to the principles of medicine.”
This oath can be seen as setting forth the principles that doctors must uphold to create a “utopia of health.” Since all doctors dream of a “utopia of health,” they take this oath upon graduating from medical school. But can we, in this day and age, truly become “Hippocrates”?
An acquaintance of mine went to the emergency room because his mother was sick. His mother had been to the emergency room before with similar symptoms, so he knew they were caused by a virus. As soon as they arrived at the emergency room, the attending physician ordered a chest X-ray. My acquaintance argued that since it was a viral infection, an injection would suffice, but the doctor could only reply, “It’s ER policy.”
Setting aside the debate over whether to shorten treatment time by trusting the self-diagnosis of a patient or their guardian when they arrive at the ER, or to conduct further tests to ensure accuracy, the phrase “it’s policy” implies that even if a procedure isn’t strictly necessary, one must follow the rules. In the end, my acquaintance received treatment without an X-ray and returned home. Later, while chatting with my acquaintance, I could see that he was worried about that doctor—who had “successfully treated the patient but failed to follow hospital policy.”
Hospitals are indispensable for achieving the utopian ideal of “the greatest good for the greatest number.” A hospital equipped with a system that allows professionals from different fields to collaborate can generate far greater power than a simple “sum of its parts.”
Given the trend toward increasingly vast and specialized medicine, the more individual doctors have to learn, the more they will need to collaborate with one another. Naturally, treatment methods for patients will become more precise, and as a result, the “utopia of health” will gradually come closer.
However, we must not forget that hospitals are merely a means to achieve the utopia of health—they are not the utopia itself. If we set aside the definition of “utopia” for a moment and reflect on it, we realize that the paths by which patients and doctors alike approach a “utopia” for those who are sick are bound to differ. For some, early diagnosis will be key; for others, aggressive treatment; and for still others, a simple word of comfort may have a profound impact on creating their own personal “utopia.” In other words, utopia may not be a single destination toward which everyone is heading, but rather a state that is unique to each individual.
