Is a Utopian Society Possible? A Look At Thomas More’s World…
What book could be so impactful that it changes the course of history and thinking for centuries to come? There are many books that have changed the world and one of them was a tome written in Latin by Sir Thomas More. Utopia impacted the renaissance and urged young philosophers to challenge the modern view of society by bringing to life a fantasy island of perfection. I mean come on this book literally created the word we use for the perfect society for a paradise…Utopia. Thomas More lived an interesting life and I think before we dive into the tenant and my thoughts on Utopia let’s learn a little about its author.
Thomas More wore many hats. Everything from lawyer to renaissance humanist to saint. His life and his contributions to society had a lasting impact including some would say creating the foundation for the Marxists/communists that would develop centuries after his death. Though the founders of that movement most assuredly read his works there were so many more that it touched during the age of enlightenment known as the renaissance. Sir Thomas More would find himself at the right hand of England and one of it’s most famous Kings, Henry VIII, at the height of turmoil and change. His outspoken opinions on the Protestant reformation and the sinful separation of England from the church when Henry VIII decided he wanted a new wife and formed the Church of England in order to do just that actually ended up costing him probably the highest cost one could pay…his life. His decision to not take an oath to the King and his new church would be him signing his death warrant. He was convicted of treason and taken to the executioner's ax. Though in his country he was looked at as a traitor the Catholic church looked at him as a martyr and in1935 wound honor him with sainthood. He would reside as the patron saint of Statesmen and Politicians.
Thomas More’s Utopia is a study through a fictional island nation aptly called Utopia. A socio-political satire piece written in Latin that looked long and hard at some very troublesome things that were prevalent in More’s time. By creating this utopian society More attempted to fix and answer these problems with succinct and idealized views and tenants. Many of the ideas in this ideal society that More built were in high contrast with the belief of More and so many of his fellow devout Catholics that many wonder how much satire was intended by More. More was an enigma wrapped in a conundrum because of this and his clear foray into humanism with this work.
So what did I think of this book…Well unlike most philosophy books written at the time this was by far the easiest to read. I have dived into many of the great humanist's works like Machiavelli and Rabelais and though I worked my way through each one’s work (Machiavelli being the easiest of the two to digest) More’s Utopia was the most user-friendly. The ideas and laws laid out in this ideal civilization were interesting and, in my mind, highly implausible once you add in the human factor. Maybe that is just the cynical pragmatist that was born in the era of lavish lifestyles and reality tv but though Utopia seems amazing it could never be achieved (that is really only my geekin’ opinion though). If you are looking to get a head start on your college political science reading list or you are just a nerd like me this is definitely a must-read piece of fiction and it is just that because as long as humanity is selfish and tribal Utopia will never be able to be achieved (if we even really want it).
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