How to get Utopia

Whether or not a utopian world is possible is debatable; however, working towards one has always been the goal of humanity. In that stride, I have some practical ideas for a better-running world that may bring us closer to utopian conditions. I believe it’s worth putting my ideas out there, even if I feel like I’m throwing a message in a bottle into the ocean. At the very least though, for those who are reading this, it will be better than reading an article about Donald Trump!
So here is my utopia checklist: direct democracy, community-driven justice system, logic-driven content, critical thinking and community forums in our educational system.
For direct democracy, I would like to swap out Congress for a direct democratic process. In this scenario, I want you to imagine that everybody has access to an online voting platform and they can log on, watch 10 five-minute videos, each of which outlines the issues of that particular ballot in an unbiased manner. The people can then vote and go on with their day. This way we could have direct access to which laws get passed. If we can vote once a month on different issues at hand, the public would be the lawmakers, the very people these laws affect.
Secondly, I would also like to see the justice system give more disciplinary sentences with community service. This would better serve our society. I believe most crimes could be better handled with a community service sentence for the perpetrator, and this is my community-driven justice system. Here, punishment would encourage rehabilitation for the convicted rather than simple imprisonment and torture. In this way, the effects and consequences of the crime can be dealt with more effectively. This makes the most sense when dealing with convicted young people, who need attentiveness and education rather than punishment. We need communities that are self-aware and self-improving.
Another idea for a utopian world would be teaching kids the metric system and formalized logic in schools. Liberia, Burma, and the United States are the only three countries that are not on the metric system. The metric system is used in the scientific community, and so I think it is just common sense to have it be the official system of measurement. We need as many good scientists as we can to solve the problems of the future, and using a common basis of measurement is important for communication and understanding international research. I also think teaching logic in schools is more important than just having students memorize concepts. It helps with critical thinking and makes students better test takers and problem solvers. It would make students better logical thinkers and hopefully help students get past any barriers in subjects like math, which is completely based on critical thinking.
My final idea, we need an Internet where I could learn about any subject or topic for free, and a forum to discuss ideas and kick-start projects. I would like to see free online textbooks and guides as well as Internet access for everybody. It wouldn’t be exactly like The Matrix where you could download your Kung Fu training, but it would be as close as we could get. I believe the knowledge that humans produce should be distributed and encouraged to grow.
In Ancient Greece people gathered in the Agora and discussed politics, philosophy, economics, and other big ideas at the time. I think that we could stand to benefit from something like this — a place in the community where everyday people can debate, educate, and elevate each other, and bring their ideas out of their heads and into the world.
Matthew Foley is a third-year double majoring in law and social thought and philosophy.