Thomas More and New World Essay

Submitted By savannahklm
Words: 468
Pages: 2
Open Document
Sir Thomas More wrote Utopia in 1516. The work was written in Latin and it was published in Louvain (present-day Belgium). Utopia is a work of satire, indirectly criticizing Europe's political corruption and religious hypocrisy. More was a Catholic Humanist. Alongside his close friend, the philosopher and writer Erasmus, More saw Humanism as a way to combine faith and reason. In depicting Utopia, More steps outside the bounds of orthodox Catholicism, but More's ultimate goal is to indicate areas of improvement for Christian society. Is an ideal state possible? Utopia means "no place" but sounds like "good place." At the very least, Utopia exposes the absurdities and evils of More's society by depicting an alternative.
As a satirist, More continues the tradition of Ancient Roman writers like Juvenal and Horace. As a philosopher brave enough to tackle the idea of the "ideal state," More leans away from Aristotle and towards Plato, author of The Republic. Sustaining the arguments of The Republic, Utopia fashions a society whose rulers are scholars (not unlike Plato's philosopher-king). Though Aristotle was opposed to the idea of common property and the abolition of private property, Aristotle's ideas of aesthetics, justice and harmony are present in the Utopian's philosophy.
A devout Catholic, More was beheaded as a martyr in 1535, standing opposed to the principle of the Anglican Church and the King of England's role as the head of the Church (replacing the Pope in Rome). In the 1530s, More wrote polemical tracts and essays attacking Lutheranism as heresy. All the same, More's Utopia implies that Utopians are better than some Christians. St. Augustine's City of God established the theme of the earthly city of God, reiterating the image of New Jerusalem presented din the Biblical Book of Revelations. Utopia is a type of New Jerusalem, a perfect place on earth. The Puritan experiments of the 1600s (in Britain and in North
Show More

Related Documents: Thomas More and New World Essay

Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster Essay

Consumer Behavior Mon 1-5pm Book Report Deluxe: How Luxury Lost its Luster Deluxe: How luxury lost its luster, by Dana Thomas, brings a hard hitting, raw look at the world of luxury and the mass demand of luxury that has occurred. The book was published by the Penguin Group in 2007. Luxury is defined by Thomas as truly special, and was only available to the aristocratic world of wealth and old money in western culture. Luxury signified an experience and lifestyle that denotes royalty, fame, and…

Words 2172 - Pages 9

Thomas Edison Essay

Skyler Human Thomas Edison Thomas Alva Edison. January 3, 2014. <http://www.nndb.com/people/333/000022267/> Thomas Alva Edison is one of the most famous American scientists in history. Edison is most known for his inventions like, the phonograph, the motion picture camera and the light bulb! Thomas Edison was born February 11, 1847 in Milan, Ohio. He was the last of seven children of his parents, Samual and Nancy Edison. When Edison was a kid, he only…

Words 683 - Pages 3

Essay on The Maze Runner

Han PD 6/7 AP Chemistry Thomas awakes in a lift only remembering his name. When the lift halts he is greeted by a group of young boys who also have no memories of their past lives. Thomas discovers he has found himself in the Glade, a small area in which was artificially created by scientists as a testing area. Thomas learns that the Glade is run by a strict order of rules and ideals of hard work. Alby, the leader of the group of boys also known as Gladers, informs Thomas of the maze which lies past…

Words 1474 - Pages 6

Thomas Paine: Monarchy Is A Bad Form Of Government

Thomas Paine was born in England in 1737 and worked as a corset maker in his teens and, later, as a sailor and schoolteacher before becoming a writer. In 1774, Paine arrived in Philadelphia and soon came to support American independence. Two years later, his 47-page pamphlet “Common Sense” sold many copies, powerfully influencing American opinion. Thomas Paine focused on two main points in this pamphlet. One being that monarchy was a bad form of government and the other being that the American colonies…

Words 798 - Pages 4

Thomas Paine Accomplishments

up with new ideas about scientific explanation to create a more just society ("History's Heroes." Thomas Paine). One of those individuals is Thomas Paine. Thomas Paine is knows as a political philosopher and writer who was born in the year 1737 (History. Com Staff. "Thomas Paine"). As he grew up, he started to have a major passion for writing where he expressed his ideas. When he was around 13 years old, he would stay home to shipbuild with his father ("Thomas Paine Biography"). Thomas Paine had…

Words 827 - Pages 4

Compare And Contrast Declaration Of Independence And Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson, a slave owner and president served two terms from March 4, 1801-March 4, 1809. Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights activist and minister, who famously gave his "I Have A Dream" speech on the Washington Monument. While slavery and segregation are not directly the same, both share a common factor: the poor treatment of Blacks. Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence "... wrote that "'all men are created equal"', and yet enslaved more than six hundred…

Words 259 - Pages 2

Thomas Edison Research Paper

Famous Person: Thomas Edison Thomas Edison was one of the most influential person that help lead to the age of industrialization. The method of invention, the new incandescent light bulb, and his marketing for products are just a few examples of his turning point to the age of industrialization. The time period where Thomas lived was not a very technological time. So of course any and every invention was a huge success. Edison was born on February 11th, 1847 in Milan, OH. His parents were…

Words 618 - Pages 3

Thomas Gregson Research Paper

Thomas Gregson was born in Derbyshire, England, in 1598, to Gregorii and Elizabeth Gregson. He was baptized into the Catholic church the same year. Throughout his brief life, he was married to Jane Gregson, and together they had nine children, seven daughters and two sons. After the birth of his first three children, he and his meager family migrated to America in the year 1636. Located at the New Haven Colony in current day Connecticut, the Gregsons started a new life under the direction of John…

Words 1171 - Pages 5

Lewis Thomas's Rhetoric: The Lives Of A Cell

Among many other things, Lewis Thomas was also a scientist. Lewis Thomas’ most famous discovery was when he injected rabbits with papain, a proteolytic enzyme, and found that when the rabbits were injected with it their ears were droopy. In his later life, Thomas won many awards for his outstanding scientific and administrative work. He even had two awards named after him. The one award that is named after him is called, the Lewis Thomas Prize, which is awarded by Rockefeller University each year…

Words 1868 - Pages 8

Robert F. Kennedy: Overcoming Obstacles

there are more than just those, I'm here to talk about one player that deserves a lot more credits then he gets. Isaiah Thomas, This is a NBA player who plays for the Boston Celtics who has had to overcome tons of obstacles for starters he is 5,9 that is really short in the NBA even worse he grew up in grinding poverty . Isaiah Thomas has been threw a lot being short and his parents always being flat broke when he was a kid. The quote in the intro basically displays how hard Isaiah Thomas worked…

Words 331 - Pages 2