Sir Thomas More was an English lawyer, statesman, author, and Renaissance humanist. He wrote Utopia in 1515, describing an imaginary island nation with unique social and political systems. The work uses fictional concepts to critique aspects of contemporary European society. While More himself was a devout Catholic who persecuted Protestants, Utopia remains a seminal work of political philosophy and fiction.
Sir Thomas More was an English lawyer, statesman, author, and Renaissance humanist. He wrote Utopia in 1515, describing an imaginary island nation with unique social and political systems. The work uses fictional concepts to critique aspects of contemporary European society. While More himself was a devout Catholic who persecuted Protestants, Utopia remains a seminal work of political philosophy and fiction.
Sir Thomas More was an English lawyer, statesman, author, and Renaissance humanist. He wrote Utopia in 1515, describing an imaginary island nation with unique social and political systems. The work uses fictional concepts to critique aspects of contemporary European society. While More himself was a devout Catholic who persecuted Protestants, Utopia remains a seminal work of political philosophy and fiction.
Sir Thomas More was an English lawyer, statesman, author, and Renaissance humanist. He wrote Utopia in 1515, describing an imaginary island nation with unique social and political systems. The work uses fictional concepts to critique aspects of contemporary European society. While More himself was a devout Catholic who persecuted Protestants, Utopia remains a seminal work of political philosophy and fiction.
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Sir Thomas More (Morus) (1478-1535)
The son of a London judge, Sir Thomas More
was educaed a !"ford, where he #earned o $ecome a %ries $u hen he decided u%on a secu#ar career, $ecoming a #aw&er' (e hen sa in )ar#iamen in 15*4, $ecame undersheriff of London in 151* and hen s%ea+er of he (ouse of ,ommons (15-3) and Lord ,hance##or of he rea#m (15-.) succeeding ,ardina# /o#se& (14750- 153*)' 1isa%%ro2ing of (enr& 34445s (15*.-1547) inended di2orce from ,aherine of 6ragon he resigned in 153-' 7e", a#hough he was inner#& faihfu# o he +ing, Thomas More refused o su$scri$e o he 6c of Su%remac& of 1534 which wou#d den& he )o%e5s s%iriua# auhori& and a#so wou#d ha2e %#edged him o consen o he +ing5s marriage o 6nne 8o#e&n' (e was $eheaded for high reason on 9u#& 7, 1535' 4n 1.35, e"ac#& four cenuries #aer, he was canoni:ed as a sain of he ;oman ,aho#ic ,hurch' 6#hough 2er& $us& as saesman, Thomas More dedicaed much of his ime o #earning, rans#aing from )ico de##a Mirando#a (14<3=14.4), eaching or wriing a History of Richard I' 4n 1515 Thomas More $egan wriing in Lain his Utopia, on#& rans#aed ino >ng#ish in 1551, he firs grea humanisic wor+ wrien in >ng#and' Thomas More coined he i#e of his $oo+ from wo ?ree+ words, ou no @ topos %#ace, i'e' Ano %#aceB, o descri$e an imaginar& is#and re%resening he %erfec socie&' Cundamena##&, Utopia was ins%ired from )#ao5s dia#ogues and es%ecia##& from he Republic, in which he ?ree+ auhor descri$ed an idea# sae, and a#so from More5s own ine##ecua# reacion agains he rigid agnosic conce%ion of socie& which had dominaed for cenuries' The wor+ is di2ided in wo 8oo+s, Duie differen from each oher' Book I conains a descri%ion of he grim rea#iies of ear#& 1< h cenur& >ng#and' 6 )oruguese seaman recouns his ad2enures a sea whi#e accom%an&ing 6merigo 3es%ucci on his hird 2o&age o he new wor#d' The Eo%ia descri$ed $& More5s mariner is se in conras wih he sad rea#iies of >ng#and and >uro%e, dominaed $& %o#iica# corru%ion, war and wase, $ad faih, %o2er& and crime, as we## as immora#i& a a## socia# #e2e#s' 4n Book II, Hythloday, his hero descri$es an idea# sae wih a ru#& re%resenai2e go2ernmen' The econom& is communisic and acDuisiion of %ro%er& is for$idden' Eo%ian houses are of eDua# comfor and are e"changed regu#ar#& $& drawing #os' >ach house has a garden and sands on a wen&-fee wide sree' ?o#d is oa##& discredied and is on#& used for 2esse#s and he feers of crimina#s' 4d#eness is for$idden, and a nine-hour wor+ing da& is com%u#sor& for a## men' Sea#ing is ine"isen in Eo%ia and here is no need for a%%#&ing he hard %ena# #aws of >ng#and' The %ursui of ha%%iness is he highes socia# goa#, $u he we#fare of he $od& %o#iic is a#wa&s %#aced a$o2e ha of he indi2idua#' 6 humaniarian and a humanis a he same ime, More e"%ressed hrough his hero his conem% for war as a re2o# agains he romanic s%iri of chi2a#r&, so much e"o##ed in %re2ious #ieraure' The Eo%ians dees war and find i jusifia$#e on#& in se#f-defense and for he re#ief of ohers from o%%ression' 4ronica##& enough, es%ionage and reacher& are considered jusified means of dea#ing wih enemies, a sand which is jus $eing a+en a#mos a he same ime $& 7icco#o Machia2e##i in his Il Principe (1513)' 6## re#igions are auhori:ed $u here is no ido# worshi%ing' >2en he ,hrisian re#igion enjo&s no s%ecia# %ri2i#eges' (owe2er, his Utopia is raher a seri#e, ine##ecua# e"ercise for he mind, ha2ing no %racica# a%%#icaion of is unsusained heor&' More himse#f, a dedicaed ,hrisian and a su$missi2e ,aho#ic was no as good as his word when, as ,hance##or of he ;ea#m, se2ere#& %ersecued he firs )roesans and hen ended himse#f a mar&r o his rigid faih' 8u in s%ie of a## %ossi$#e criicism, Utopia sands a#one as he grea conri$uion of >ng#ish #ieraure o humanism'