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Utopia
This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.
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About the author
Thomas Moore
1,037 books5 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author with this name in the Goodreads database. This profile contains books by more than one author with this name.
For the Irish poet, see Thomas Moore
For the spiritual writer, see Thomas Moore
For the botanist, see Thomas Moore
For the Irish poet, see Thomas Moore
For the spiritual writer, see Thomas Moore
For the botanist, see Thomas Moore
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
August 8, 2024
A REMARKABLE BOOK, AND EXAMPLE OF RENAISSANCE HUMANISM
Thomas More (1478–1535) was an English lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman, and noted Renaissance humanist. He was also a Chancellor to Henry VIII, but he refused to acknowledge Henry as Supreme Head of the Church of England, so was convicted of treason and executed. More invented the term “Utopia” (which literally means, ‘no place’) in this book, which was published in 1516. [NOTE: page numbers below refer to a 154-page paperback edition.]
The book tells the imaginary story of More’s discussions with an explorer and scholar Raphael Nonsenso, who eventually tells him about an island in the New World called ‘Utopia.’ (A canal was artificially dug to separate Utopia from the mainland.) Raphael notes that there is no private property in Utopia: “You simply ask an official for what you want, and he hands it over, without any sort of payment.” (Pg. 71) Private disputes are promptly settled in the Council or the Assembly; “Occasionally the matter is referred to Parliament.” (Pg. 74)
There is a 6-hour working day, with a 2-hour lunch; “All the rest of the twenty-four hours they’re free to do what they like—not to waste their time in idleness or self-indulgence, but to make good use of it in some congenial activity.” (Pg. 76) He notes, “those six hours are … more than enough to produce plenty of everything that’s needed for a comfortable life. And you’ll understand why it is, if you reckon up how large a proportion of the population in other countries is totally unemployed… you have practically all the women…” (Pg. 76-77)
He explains, “in Utopia, where everything’s under state control, houses are very seldom built on entirely new sites, and repairs are carried out immediately they become necessary.” (Pg. 78) Socially, “Each household… comes under the authority of the oldest male. Wives are subordinate to their husbands, children to their parents, and younger people generally to their elders.” (Pg. 80)
He states. “There’s never any excuse for idleness. There are also no wine-taverns, no ale-houses, no brothels, no opportunities for seduction, no secret meeting-places. Everyone has his eye on you, so you’re practically forced to get on with your job, and make some proper use of your spare time.” (Pg. 84)
He points out, “Nor can they understand why a totally useless substance like gold should now, all over the world, be considered far more important than human beings, who gave it such value as it has, purely for their own convenience. The result is that a man with about as much mental agility as a lump of lead… can have lots of good, intelligent people at his beck and call, just because he happens to possess a large pile of gold coins.” (Pg. 89)
He explains, “no one’s allowed to become a full-time student, except for the very few in each town who appear as children to possess … outstanding intelligence, and a special aptitude for academic research. But every child receives a primary education, and most men and women go on educating themselves all of their lives during those free periods that I told you about.” (Pg. 89)
He notes, “in all their discussions of happiness they invoke certain religious principles to supplement the operations of reason… The first principle is that every soul is immortal, and was created by a kind God, Who meant it to be happy. The second is that we shall be rewarded or punished in the next world for our good or bad behavior in this one. Although these are religious principles, the Utopians find rational grounds for accepting them.” (Pg. 91)
He asserts, “human beings have entered into an idiotic conspiracy to call some things enjoyable which are naturally nothing of the kind… In the category of illusory pleasure-addicts they include the kind of person… who thinks himself better than other people because he’s better dressed than they are.” (Pg. 93) He adds, “what about those people who accumulate superfluous wealth, for no better purpose than to enjoy looking at it? Is their pleasure a real one, or merely a form of delusion?” (Pg. 94) And “Among stupid pleasures they include not only gambling---a form of idiocy that they’re heard about but never practiced---but also hunting and hawking… The Utopians consider hunting below the dignity of free men, and leave it entirely to butchers, who are… slaves.” (Pg. 95) These slaves are “either Utopian convicts or, much more often, condemned criminals from other countries, who are acquired … usually for nothing.” (Pg. 101)
He says, “they’d never dream of despising their own beauty… going without food… or spurning any other of Nature’s gifts… in the hope of receiving some greater pleasure from God in return. For they think it’s quite absurd to torment oneself in the name of an unreal virtue… They say such behavior is merely self-destructive, and shows a most ungrateful attitude towards Nature.” (Pg. 98)
He notes, “Girls aren’t allowed to marry until they’re eighteen---boys have to wait four years longer. Any boy or girl convicted of premarital intercourse is severely punished, and permanently disqualified from marrying, unless this sentence is remitted by the Mayor… Most married couples are parted only by death, except in the case of adultery or intolerably bad behavior, when the innocent party may get permission from the Council to marry someone else… Occasionally, though divorce by mutual consent is allowed on grounds of incompatibility… But this requires special permission… Adulterers are sentenced to penal servitude of the most unpleasant type.” (Pg. 102-104)
He observes, “They have very few laws, because, with their social system, very few laws are required… they have no barristers to be over-ingenious about individual cases and points of law. They think it better for each man to please his own cause, and tell the judge the same story as he’d otherwise tell his lawyer.” (Pg. 106)
He states, “war… is a thing they absolutely loathe… the Utopians are practically the only people on earth who fail to see anything glorious in war. Of course, both sexes are given military training at regular intervals, so that they won’t be incapable of fighting if they ever have to do it… in self-defense.” (Pg. 109)
He explains, “Finally, let me tell you about their religious ideas. There are several different religions on the island… the vast majority take the … view that there is a single divine power… diffused throughout this universe … as an active force. This power they call ‘The Parent.’ They give Him credit for everything that happens… On this point… all the different sects agree---that there is one Supreme Being… they all use the same Utopian word to describe Him: Mythras. What they disagree about is who Mythras is… people are gradually tending to drift away from all these inferior creeds and to unite in adopting what seems to be the most reasonable religion… But when we told them about Christ… you’ve no idea how easy it was to convert them too. Perhaps they were unconsciously influenced by some divine inspiration… they were also considerably affected by the information that Christ prescribed of His own disciples a communist way of life…
“Of course, many Utopians refuse to accept Christianity, but even they make no attempt to discourage other people from adopting it, or to attack those who do… one of the most ancient principles of their constitution is religious toleration… [Their founder] left the choice of creed an open question, to be decided by the individual according to his own ideas---except that he … forbade his people to believe… the doctrine that the soul dies with the body, and the universe functions aimlessly, without any controlling providence.” (Pg. 117-120) He says, “when a person dies in a cheerful and optimistic mood, nobody mourns for him. They sing for joy at his funeral, and lovingly commend his soul to God.” (Pg. 121)
He concludes, “that’s the most accurate account I can give you of the Utopian Republic. To my mind it’s not only the best country in the world, but the only one that has any right to call itself a republic.” (Pg. 128) More, in turn, acknowledges, “I freely admit that there are many features of the Utopian Republic which I should like… to see adopted in Europe.” (Pg. 132)
This book is amazingly “visionary,” particularly in light of More’s staunch Catholicism. This book will be “must reading” for students of political philosophy, utopian thinking, and progressive religion.
Thomas More (1478–1535) was an English lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman, and noted Renaissance humanist. He was also a Chancellor to Henry VIII, but he refused to acknowledge Henry as Supreme Head of the Church of England, so was convicted of treason and executed. More invented the term “Utopia” (which literally means, ‘no place’) in this book, which was published in 1516. [NOTE: page numbers below refer to a 154-page paperback edition.]
The book tells the imaginary story of More’s discussions with an explorer and scholar Raphael Nonsenso, who eventually tells him about an island in the New World called ‘Utopia.’ (A canal was artificially dug to separate Utopia from the mainland.) Raphael notes that there is no private property in Utopia: “You simply ask an official for what you want, and he hands it over, without any sort of payment.” (Pg. 71) Private disputes are promptly settled in the Council or the Assembly; “Occasionally the matter is referred to Parliament.” (Pg. 74)
There is a 6-hour working day, with a 2-hour lunch; “All the rest of the twenty-four hours they’re free to do what they like—not to waste their time in idleness or self-indulgence, but to make good use of it in some congenial activity.” (Pg. 76) He notes, “those six hours are … more than enough to produce plenty of everything that’s needed for a comfortable life. And you’ll understand why it is, if you reckon up how large a proportion of the population in other countries is totally unemployed… you have practically all the women…” (Pg. 76-77)
He explains, “in Utopia, where everything’s under state control, houses are very seldom built on entirely new sites, and repairs are carried out immediately they become necessary.” (Pg. 78) Socially, “Each household… comes under the authority of the oldest male. Wives are subordinate to their husbands, children to their parents, and younger people generally to their elders.” (Pg. 80)
He states. “There’s never any excuse for idleness. There are also no wine-taverns, no ale-houses, no brothels, no opportunities for seduction, no secret meeting-places. Everyone has his eye on you, so you’re practically forced to get on with your job, and make some proper use of your spare time.” (Pg. 84)
He points out, “Nor can they understand why a totally useless substance like gold should now, all over the world, be considered far more important than human beings, who gave it such value as it has, purely for their own convenience. The result is that a man with about as much mental agility as a lump of lead… can have lots of good, intelligent people at his beck and call, just because he happens to possess a large pile of gold coins.” (Pg. 89)
He explains, “no one’s allowed to become a full-time student, except for the very few in each town who appear as children to possess … outstanding intelligence, and a special aptitude for academic research. But every child receives a primary education, and most men and women go on educating themselves all of their lives during those free periods that I told you about.” (Pg. 89)
He notes, “in all their discussions of happiness they invoke certain religious principles to supplement the operations of reason… The first principle is that every soul is immortal, and was created by a kind God, Who meant it to be happy. The second is that we shall be rewarded or punished in the next world for our good or bad behavior in this one. Although these are religious principles, the Utopians find rational grounds for accepting them.” (Pg. 91)
He asserts, “human beings have entered into an idiotic conspiracy to call some things enjoyable which are naturally nothing of the kind… In the category of illusory pleasure-addicts they include the kind of person… who thinks himself better than other people because he’s better dressed than they are.” (Pg. 93) He adds, “what about those people who accumulate superfluous wealth, for no better purpose than to enjoy looking at it? Is their pleasure a real one, or merely a form of delusion?” (Pg. 94) And “Among stupid pleasures they include not only gambling---a form of idiocy that they’re heard about but never practiced---but also hunting and hawking… The Utopians consider hunting below the dignity of free men, and leave it entirely to butchers, who are… slaves.” (Pg. 95) These slaves are “either Utopian convicts or, much more often, condemned criminals from other countries, who are acquired … usually for nothing.” (Pg. 101)
He says, “they’d never dream of despising their own beauty… going without food… or spurning any other of Nature’s gifts… in the hope of receiving some greater pleasure from God in return. For they think it’s quite absurd to torment oneself in the name of an unreal virtue… They say such behavior is merely self-destructive, and shows a most ungrateful attitude towards Nature.” (Pg. 98)
He notes, “Girls aren’t allowed to marry until they’re eighteen---boys have to wait four years longer. Any boy or girl convicted of premarital intercourse is severely punished, and permanently disqualified from marrying, unless this sentence is remitted by the Mayor… Most married couples are parted only by death, except in the case of adultery or intolerably bad behavior, when the innocent party may get permission from the Council to marry someone else… Occasionally, though divorce by mutual consent is allowed on grounds of incompatibility… But this requires special permission… Adulterers are sentenced to penal servitude of the most unpleasant type.” (Pg. 102-104)
He observes, “They have very few laws, because, with their social system, very few laws are required… they have no barristers to be over-ingenious about individual cases and points of law. They think it better for each man to please his own cause, and tell the judge the same story as he’d otherwise tell his lawyer.” (Pg. 106)
He states, “war… is a thing they absolutely loathe… the Utopians are practically the only people on earth who fail to see anything glorious in war. Of course, both sexes are given military training at regular intervals, so that they won’t be incapable of fighting if they ever have to do it… in self-defense.” (Pg. 109)
He explains, “Finally, let me tell you about their religious ideas. There are several different religions on the island… the vast majority take the … view that there is a single divine power… diffused throughout this universe … as an active force. This power they call ‘The Parent.’ They give Him credit for everything that happens… On this point… all the different sects agree---that there is one Supreme Being… they all use the same Utopian word to describe Him: Mythras. What they disagree about is who Mythras is… people are gradually tending to drift away from all these inferior creeds and to unite in adopting what seems to be the most reasonable religion… But when we told them about Christ… you’ve no idea how easy it was to convert them too. Perhaps they were unconsciously influenced by some divine inspiration… they were also considerably affected by the information that Christ prescribed of His own disciples a communist way of life…
“Of course, many Utopians refuse to accept Christianity, but even they make no attempt to discourage other people from adopting it, or to attack those who do… one of the most ancient principles of their constitution is religious toleration… [Their founder] left the choice of creed an open question, to be decided by the individual according to his own ideas---except that he … forbade his people to believe… the doctrine that the soul dies with the body, and the universe functions aimlessly, without any controlling providence.” (Pg. 117-120) He says, “when a person dies in a cheerful and optimistic mood, nobody mourns for him. They sing for joy at his funeral, and lovingly commend his soul to God.” (Pg. 121)
He concludes, “that’s the most accurate account I can give you of the Utopian Republic. To my mind it’s not only the best country in the world, but the only one that has any right to call itself a republic.” (Pg. 128) More, in turn, acknowledges, “I freely admit that there are many features of the Utopian Republic which I should like… to see adopted in Europe.” (Pg. 132)
This book is amazingly “visionary,” particularly in light of More’s staunch Catholicism. This book will be “must reading” for students of political philosophy, utopian thinking, and progressive religion.
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