Thomas More - Utopia

More Life and Times

Born 1478. Died 1535 executed Lawyer, Humanist, Catholic Served in house of John Morton (Archbishop of Canterbury and Henry VIIs Lord Chancellor) Influence of Humanism (studia humanitatis grammar, rhetoric, history, poetry, moral philosophy) friend of Erasmus and John Colet Key Writings: History of King Richard the Third; Utopia (1516); A Dialogue Concerning Heresies; A Dialogue of Comfort against Tribulation.

Public Life Member of Parliament; Undersheriff of London; from 1517 secretary to Henry VIII, then Lord Chancellor in 1529. Writes against the Lutheran heresy resigns Chancellorship 1532; imprisoned 1534 for refusing Act of Succession; executed for treason 1535

A Sticky End

Utopia

The text invokes the ideal commonwealth tradition e.g. Platos Republic Utopia from Greek ou (not) + topos (place) = no place Or eutopia = happy place (other puns Amaurot the capital, from amauroton to make dark or dim; the river Anyder waterless) The comic/satirical tradition serio ludere (to play seriously) Lucian (2nd c. AD Greek writer); Erasmus, The Praise of Folly; Rebelais, Gargantua; Swift, Gullivers Travels etc. Morality and expediency. Can there be an ideal society? A means of social and political critique.

Book One - Some themes

A Travellers Tale. Not an ideal city in speech (as in Plato) Located in the real world. More and Giles (friend of Erasmus) Raphael Hythloday (expert/guide in nonsense) Speaks Greek rather than Latin Are the views of the character More (Morus) those of Thomas More? sets up a contrast with Europe (esp. England) and Utopia (book 2). Private property versus common ownership The problem of inequality Crime and punishment

The Dialogue in book 1

the relation between philosophy and practice. The life of public service (giving counsel to Kings) versus the contemplative life. The corruptions of public life e.g. the dialogue within the dialogue (the conversation with Cardinal Morton) Advising kings against war or material aggrandizement never succeeds Mores response choose the right play, adapt your arguments to the occasion

Book 2 Description of Utopia. Structure and Practices

Size

and Geography similar to England Republican structure election of officials Work shared (6 hours per day). No-one idle, therefore great productivity and little crime. Uniform clothing no competition. Regulation of population if cities get too big, then population moved. Colonisation war declared on those who resist Bondsmen and slaves butcher the meat (not citizens)

 Communal

living - Common dining rooms (recalls Plato). the whole island is like a single family Restrictions of freedom no travel without permission; no private discussion of political affairs Money only used for contingencies (needed to fight wars) Gold used for chamber pots and slaves chains. Education - Moral philosophy. Not Christian, but through moral reasoning they are more virtuous than Europeans (natural/rational religion)

Warfare

Treaties sign of lack of trust. Warfare an activity fit only for beasts They fight wars only for good reasons. (just war theory) Prefer cunning to bloodshed. (cf. Machiavelli be as cunning as a fox and strong as a lion) Only go to war for limited aim, but will take bitter revenge on those who provoked them Hire mercenaries the Zapoletes (Venalians in Penguin trans.) born for battle and spoiling for a fight As for how many get killed, the Utopians never worry about that, for they think they would deserve well of all mankind if they could exterminate from the face of the earth that entire vicious and disgusting race How does this minimise bloodshed?

Concluding Remarks
Is

Utopia an ideal society? Is it as moral as Raphael suggests? Are the Utopians morally compromised? can the ideal society exist in a non-ideal world? The final passage