![]() ![]() I prefer the proportionate equality described in Aristotle's Politics, and don't believe a system where everyone is treated exactly the same would work. What lets it down politically are the extreme socialist and communist values, which just don't strike me as satisfying. More gets away with it though, and this remains a worthwhile read, as a satire and a work of humour it compensates for its theoretical failings. ![]() The state described here would have seemed close to perfection for the average inhabitant of England at the time, but it doesn't stand up today in comparison to the superior systems described in the more rationally thought out Greek political writings. This lead to a large proportion of the population being homeless and without means to survive, they turned to crime to survive and in turn were hanged for petty crimes, while the rich were living it up and swaggering round in fine clothes and jewels.More being an all round good egg disliked this, and this is why an essentially communist system is advocated here, communism being an improvement on severe feudalism, and blind equality being an improvement on gross inequality. Contemporary England was unfair, property was being taken from the peasants by the thousands, to use to pasture sheep to make money for the government and the wealthy via the wool trade. To understand the reasoning behind this book it only needs to be understood in context. ![]() Utopia seems less practical than other works on ideal states, as well as less ideal, but as a commentary on 16th Century England it excels. This is made obvious in several ways: the account of Utopia is given by a traveler who has supposedly been there, and the names of the country, the cities, rivers, people, etcetera are all jokes, several of the policies in the country are merely told to ridicule current western practice, and many of the details are capricious and not given reasons for.Underlying the satire is a serious message though, that through equality, fair dealing, and general niceness, general happiness can be achieved. It is difficult to take seriously, unlike the Politics and the Republic, as though it borrows heavily from ancient Greek thought, it is concerned more with satirising and correcting the problems of the times than with philosophising and arguing towards something absolutely ideal. Utopia is a work written by Thomas More in response to the grave inequality and injustice in 16th Century England. This edition follows the translation of Gilbert Burnet and includes introductions by Henry Morley and William D. An inspiration for many social movements throughout history “Utopia,” will forever be regarded as a groundbreaking work of social philosophy. More’s “Utopia” is described as an idealized island community upon which perfect social harmony has been achieved, all property is community owned, violence is nonexistent and everyone has the opportunity to work and live in an environment of religious tolerance. Although the concept of a near perfect society dates back at least to the period of classical antiquity, it is Thomas More’s work that would establish itself as the most famous example of this genre of literature. Despite his tragic downfall, he will forever be remembered for his pioneering work “Utopia.” Thomas More first coined the word utopia in his 1516 book of the same name. This act would ultimately lead to his trial for treason and execution. More opposed the Protestant reformation and denied the King’s position as head of the Church of England. Thomas More, a 16th century English lawyer, statesman, and philosopher, was one of the most controversial figures of his time.
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