Take-Aways Preface on an Allegedly True Story from the Island of Utopia What It’s About Ideal Society and Ideal State

“Utopia”by THOMAS MORE

Plan

1. What It’s About

2. Take-Aways

3. Preface on an Allegedly True Story from the Island of Utopia

What It’s About

Ideal Society and Ideal State

Can the world be a better place? Are there rules and codes of conduct that would allow a society to exist in just and harmonious balance? As far back as records reach, people have struggled to understand what is necessary for a stable and contented world. As the Renaissance spread to Northern Europe, Thomas More looked around him and keenly felt the difference between the rough and tumble of Tudor England versus the sort of society that would offer dignity and opportunity to his fellow men. Taking inspiration from the discoveries of the explorers, starting with the Portuguese navigators and Columbus, he placed his speculations of what a decent society would look like by inventing a description of a newly discovered land: Utopia. As the fictional narrator, a Portuguese seafarer, recounts how the Utopians deal with property, commerce, social relations, governance and even criminality, More explores how a constructive and humanist society might operate. While some elements of Utopia seem quite modern, others such as slavery and strict patriarchy can seem surprising. Clearly, elements of Utopia reflect More’s ideals, and he may even have thought them practical – such as the treatment of criminals. Others may be simple speculation or even satire. What is most important is that More moved beyond moralizing to envision what the utopian society might look like and thereby to start a long tradition of utopian and dystopian writing that remains as vital today as it was in 1516.

Take-Aways

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  Utopia is one of the most important political texts of the early modern era, and is responsible for shaping the genre of utopian fiction. 
  
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  Thomas More recounts a seafarer’s report of the island of Utopia, which reflects a distinct contrast to the prevailing social order of his times: All Utopians are equal – except for the slaves. There is no private property, need or greed. Everyone works and subordinates their interests to the common good, and no ruler can ever become too powerful. 
  
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  In his work, Thomas More created the idealized image of a social state, thus criticizing the monarchical systems in Europe at the time.
  
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  The fictional explorer puts forward early socialist, even communist ideas.
  
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  The extent to which the devout Catholic believed in such ideals himself remains unclear.
  
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  Some scholars maintain that More was merely satirizing the dream of a fair and equal social order.
  
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  More, a close friend of Erasmus of Rotterdam, was strongly influenced by the Renaissance and humanist movement.
  
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  He brought reason to Epicureanism. In this system of philosophy, pleasure means living a reasonable life in the service of the common good.
  
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  Utopia, which in Greek means nowhere, coined a new term and became the blueprint of utopian and dystopian fiction.
  
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  “For among them there is no unequal distribution, so that no man is poor, none in necessity, and though no man has anything, yet they are all rich.”