Seminar: Realism and Idealism

Opening Question: How does idealism affect how our artistic products, such as literature and paintings, appear?

Core Questions:
1. Why is specialized labor necessary in a realist society?

Specialized labor is essential for survival. Ever since humans first evolved and began congregating, people have been assigned jobs suited for them in order for the community to progress successfully. On page 51 of Utopia, Sir Thomas More wrote that all members of the community had one occupation in common, which was agriculture. Sir Thomas More probably developed this view in the hope that more food would be yielded as a result. However, this is an extremely idealistic viewpoint because not everyone is able to perform the same task equally well. Each person has his or her own individual talents and should be allowed to exhibit them. It is unbeneficial to have two unskilled people, for example, try to complete what one apt person could have done alone. Such a habit wastes time and energy. Additionally, on page 52, he stated the following: It is the chief and almost the only task of the syphogrants to see that no one is idle, but that everyone diligently sets about his craft, but not like a beast, worn out by constant toil from early morning until late at night. He does not realize that struggling to accomplish a job that is naturally difficult for you will lead to exhaustion.
2. Why does equality among men exist merely as an ideal?