Essay on Utopia - 1351 Words

Thomas More’s, Utopia is one of the most politically and socially influential texts to date. His audience, which ranges from academic and social scholars to college students, all can gain a different understanding of the work and it’s meaning. In order to fully comprehend More’s message, one must have an appreciation for the time and culture in which he lived. After grasping historical concepts, one reads Utopia, not as just a volume recounting a fictitious island society, but rather as a critique on a time of corruption and reformation. Throughout the entire text, More’s personal views on the religion, politics, and economy of this turbulent time seep through the carefully plotted thread of this critical work.†¦show more content†¦He goes one step further to make himself a character as the voice of reason. In the time that More wrote the novel, these views were so radical that, had they not had some sort of a disclaimer provided, he could have be en punished. Raphael describes the Utopians in detail. More spends an exceptionally large amount of time discussing the Utopians religious beliefs. He describes them as monotheists, stating, â€Å"they believe in a single power, unknown, eternal, infinite, inexplicable, far beyond the grasp of the human mind†(73). More stresses this notion of civility in a heathen culture where Christianity had not touched until Hythloday’s arrival. The only religious law that must be followed, which was created by Utopia’s founder, Utopus, claims that any religion is permissible if it includes the notion of an afterlife. He writes this to an audience who he believes has lost all sense of what Christianity truly is. R.W. Chamber states, â€Å"The Four Cardinal Virtues—Wisdom, Fortitude, Temperance and Justice†¦were taken into the medieval system†¦and were sufficient to ensure that a man or a State might be a model of conduct in secular matters†(138). He s ays that heathen cultures, like Utopia, are based on these Virtues that are â€Å"subsidiary to, not a substitute for, the Christian virtues†(138). Chamber’s idea suggests that More uses the concept of the Utopians, as heathens, working in a successful and yet Non-Christian society, as proof that just because oneShow MoreRelatedA Dystopia Or Utopia Or A Utopia?933 Words   |  4 PagesEvery society has the makings to be either a Dystopia or a Utopia. Thomas More outlines why he thinks his society is corrupt, and identifies the causes for its corruptness and suggests possible solutions. More talks about the differences in citizens and thievery, corrupt governments, and the problem with equality as a result of private property, between his society and the Utopia. However, many of the problems faced in More’s society still cause problems today. One problem faced by the people isRead MoreUtopia By Thomas More s Utopia1350 Words   |  6 PagesMore’s Utopia Thomas More’s book, Utopia, was constructed to criticize aspects of European life during the 1500s. One issue that More evaluates is the subject of politics and war. War during this time was used to gain territory or increase the ruler’s power. The Utopians are a peaceful group of citizens that rarely have any altercations occurring upon their island. They have a strict daily schedule that provides a minute amount of time for leisure, resulting in a low rate of problems. So why doesRead MoreUtopia By Thomas More s Utopia1927 Words   |  8 PagesIn Thomas More’s Utopia, the character Thomas More writes a letter to Peter Giles of this island nation Raphael told him about called Utopia. At this point Thomas more is in Denmark (?) making negotiations when he meets Raphael who introduces him to the thought and place of Utopia. 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More’s life flourished through the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, which were influential years in the Renaissance, a flowering of art and thought that began in Italy and flooded through Europe and England. Humanists often stressed the dignity of man and the power of reason while remaining deeply committed to Christianity. Their thought and writings helped to break theRead MoreThe Prince and Utopia2005 Words   |  9 PagesThe Prince and Utopia The Prince and Utopia are honored as masterpieces that show two differing styles of government. Both books have many similarities and differences in the governments that are in the their respective stories. Many ideas from the governments they portray have profound impacts on our modern government such as various political principles like the military, economy, and religion. The Prince and Utopia are both interesting novels that show creative styles of government. TheRead MoreEssay Utopia4252 Words   |  18 PagesUtopia In the year 1515, a book in Latin text was published which became the most significant and controversial text ever written in the field of political science. Entitled, ‘DE OPTIMO REIPUBLICATE STATU DEQUE NOVA INSULA UTOPIA, clarissimi disertissimique viri THOMAE MORI inclutae civitatis Londinensis civis et Vicecomitis’, translated into English would read, ‘ON THE BEST STATE OF A COMMONWEALTH AND ON THE NEW ISLAND OF UTOPIA, by the Most Distinguished and Eloquent Author THOMAS MORERead MoreEssay on Utopia2087 Words   |  9 Pages Utopia nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Utopias are generally said to be societies in which the political, social and economic troubles hampering its inhabitants has been done away with. Instead the state is there to serve the people and ensure the peacefulness and happiness of everyone. The word utopia, which means quot;no placequot; in Greek, was first used to mean a perfect society in 1516 in the publication of Saint Thomas Mores story quot;Utopiaquot;. The story depicted life as it was withRead MoreEssay on Utopia785 Words   |  4 PagesAmerican nation. In Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs and Utopia by Thomas Moore, we are presented two life styles, which some might consider very similar in various ways. Both authors focus on a peaceful living lifestyle, to better the people of the nation. Although some of their specific details are different, I believe that Jacobs would definitely approve of the features that More develops in Utopia. Utopia occupies a crescent-shaped island that curves in on itself, enclosing aRead MorePystopia Vs Utopia1382 Words   |  6 Pagesidea of utopia or a perfect society seems so unattainable or impossible. Both Ursula Le Guin’s â€Å"The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas† and Ben Winters’ Underground Airlines take place in different realities - the former exists in a place where all seems too good to be true, while the latter takes place in a United States wherein slave-based practices still exist; it is through these realities that the authors point out the flaws of their imagined societies and, possibly, critique aspects of utopia. This