Many ailments linger in todays global society; issues near impossible to cure. In exploring our world, we are faced with a wide array of undesirable aspects, many complex and inter-connected in nature, seemingly ingrained in our existence. However, is it necessary that this be set in stone? Is there not room to attempt creating a society for a better life? Confucius, The Master, guides the way. Facing reality, one must not be intimidated; rather, the key lies in narrowing one’s scope. If we ‘adjust the action steps’ yet still maintain the ultimate goal, there is room to believe in a better world. This will be the topic of our blog. Specifically, we will attempt to design an ideal society, a Utopia rooted in the teachings of Ancient Chinese philosophy. Confucius’ xiao, Mencius’ social influence, Laozi’s Dao, Mozi’s rigid materialism. These aspects, in addition to many others, will fuse and collide in order to construct a polis; a City State designed to provide for the healthy living of its inhabitants, being far removed from the despair from which they sought to depart. A society founded in fraternity and impartial caring; established in the urge to distance itself from money and profit, it is devoted to facilitating individuals’ own talents and desires. This will inherently benefit communitarian living. Explore our blog, dive into and learn about traditional Chinese philosophy and how it may be applied to a context far removed from their original articulation. In short, this is our Utopia.

As aforementioned – furthering the teachings of the great Laozi, author of Daodejing:

Reduce the size of the state;

Lessen the population. (Chapter 80)

– the overall structure of our Utopia is an enclosed (yet not isolationist) city-state, or polis, with an estimated population of twenty-five to thirty thousand individuals. By having a relatively small population, we will ensure community stability and reduce internal conflicts of interest. In Laozi’s terms: Additionally it will facilitate inter-personal connections between the inhabitants, which will serve as the ‘adhesive’ of the society. Competition will be substituted for cooperation.

The initial establishment will be fueled by innovative individuals seeking to distance themselves from their surrounding status quo. That is, an existence governed by perpetual financial and political concerns. Much like Confucius’ promulgation of returning to the Golden Age of the Zhou dynasty – 周朝 -, we too conduct a retrospective approach – a return to the pre-capitalist society. Upon establishment, in the place of any form of constitution, participators will sign off onto a mutually binding social contract, in which the fundamental value-system and its framework is laid down. Modesty, impartial caring, education, and cultivation of interest in virtue of themselves (as opposed to a a result of a cost-benefit analysis) will be the pillars of such a document, and adherence to these is an absolute requirement for participation. The State will put in place, and be organized around policies which actively reduce fixation on financial matters. This will allow citizens to engage in other, more important matters such as art and culture, as well as personal cultivation.

While we do acknowledge the social engineering required to shape individuals often contrary to their supposed nature, we maintain our belief that through a multitude of policies as well as arenas designed and operated specifically for this purpose, it is possible to slowly alter it, to indeed transcend the capitalist indoctrination the participating citizens were formerly exposed to. In short, our aim is to adhere to Mencius’ conception of man, that is, to unveil the innate goodness found within each of us in a positive, rewarding environment.