Thomas More Utopia

Thomas more utopia

1. The explanation of utopia
2. Who is Thomas more
3. The general welfare of England in Thomas more age
4. Why he create utopia as utopia

In order to understand the Sir Thomas More’s Utopia, the phenomenon of utopia must be explained. Utopia is a commune or society in which have almost perfect system. Their moral and ethic values are godlike and the inhabitants of these communes are perfectly created. These utopias are highly desirable or near perfect qualities. Moreover Lewis Mumford says that: As a matter of fact, it is our utopias that make the world tolerable to us: the cities and mansions that people dream of are those in which they finally live. (Mumford, 1922) And Karl Manheim explains the phenomenon of utopia with reverse phenomenon ‘ideology’.

Manheim interpret these notions (idea & utopia) as inequalities that occur re-producing of substantial dominance affairs  in the direction of the understanding of a wholistic settlement, according to this hypothesis, Ideology and utopia are patterns of wholistic thoughts beyond the singular  approaches  to create perspective for dominant society(ideology)and for depended society(utopia) so the difference between ideology and utopia become the  debate topic related to  process of changing the verified social provision. Utopia tells the manner of mindset of social transformation but ideology tells the style of mentality that provide for maintain ‘status quo’. (Yetiş,2002)(Trans.)

As the researcher pointed out, the opposed phenomenon of utopia is ideology. In literature fiction, the opponent of utopia is dystopia which the societies or communes which had no ethic and moral values, or their values are corrupted. In philosophy, ideology is the opponent of utopia because, in the basic elements of its, ideology covers something worst and normal to make it higher in both ethic and productive way. In Karl Marx’s opinion, a society’s dominant ideology is integral to its superstructure. (Marx,1885). It indicates that the basis element of the ideology was the certain intensity between the steps of hierarchy but there are not keen steps in the phenomenon of utopia.

Referring back to the Manheim’s hypothesis that is utopia is the pattern of wholistic thought beyond the singular approaches to create perspective for depended society enable readers to understand why Sir Thomas More wrote his utopia.

Sir Thomas More, son of Sir John More, a justice of the King’s Bench, was born in 1478, in Milk Street, in the city of London. After his earlier education at St. Anthony’s School, in Threadneedle Street, he was placed, as a boy, in the household of Cardinal John Morton, Archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Chancellor.