Humanism in Utopia - Essay Example

Utopia has been a famous word for centuries that pertain to a perfect world. It is a society filled with the ideal images of the human mind. It is a perfect society where all people are happy and enjoy all things equally. The concept of Utopia was first created by Sir Thomas More. In the paper, humanism especially renaissance humanism will be discussed in relation to the idea and story of Utopia created by Sir Thomas More.

Thomas More is considered one of the saints in the Catholic Church. He was born in London to Sir John More who was a famous judge. He studied at St Anthony's School in London and as a teen, he served as a page to Archbishop Morton who said that More would be a great man. More went to Oxford to study under William Grocyn and Thomas Linacre. During his stay, he made comedies and focused on Greek and Latin literature. He translated the Latin biography of the famous Italian humanist Pico della Mirandola. Afterward, More returned to London to pursue law and he was admitted to Lincoln's Inn as a barrister. Despite that, he did not automatically follow his father’s shadow. He was confused between a religious life and a life as a civil servant. During his stay at Lincoln's Inn, becoming a monk was in his mind, and studied the  Carthusian discipline. The religious habits permanently became part of his life. Later on, he decided to take the path of a civil servant and a married life (Luminarium). He married Jane Colt and they had four children but Colt died young. He remarried for the sake of his children to Alice Middleton who was six years older than him. Middleton became a good housewife although she was different from More. More then became a famous judge, lawyer, and personal secretary to Henry VIII. He was then executed when he did not sign the oath making the king as the supreme head of the church in England. He still left a legacy and one of his famous works is Utopia (Liukkonen and Pesonen). His idea oofn Utopia was greatly influenced by the concept of humanism. The broad concept of humanism is concerned with the aspects to become human or human-being-centered (Fowler 5). Humanism can also be defined as the term pertaining to a famous social philosophy and intellectual and literary currents from 1400 to 1650. The concept favors the classical pagan beliefs revolving around the philosophy of secularism or the appreciation of worldly pleasures. It also promoted individualism. Prosperity and growth in trade increased the interest in materialism or worldly pleasures even though people formed an allegiance to the Catholic Church. Humanism, therefore, pushed forth the ideas of classical writers on social values and secular attitudes. Humanism embraced the mystical and aesthetic aspects of the period before the development of science. People were not free from the ancient authority. They transferred authorities instead of removing them. The humanists followed and read their authorities due to aesthetic pleasure and moral uplift (Kreis).

The characters of the book Utopia were Thomas More, Peter Giles, and a fictional character named Raphael Hythloday. More was a London public servant who wrote a letter to his friend Giles in Belgium who was an editor and clerk. The story was divided into two books. In book one, the background of Hythloday was introduced and More met Hythloday because of Giles. Hythloday was a Portuguese explorer who sailed to the New World with the Italian explorer, Amerigo Vespucci. He traveled in the New World and became close to the Utopians. The conversation of the three men revolved around the existence of the New World and compared it to European political and economic issues. Book two unfolded the information regarding Utopia as Hythloday revealed it to More and Giles. The history, geography, social customs, legal and political systems, economic structures, religious beliefs, and philosophy of Utopia were all tackled. Utopia started when General Utopus civilized the area and turned it into an island. Utopians followed most of the plans and values bestowed upon them by Utopians. The leaders were selected from the ranks of scholars. 54 cities had identical language, religion, dress, education, and many more. Uniqueness was almost nothing in Utopia since almost all had uniformity and little self-expression. Freedom was not part of decision-making since laws and social customs greatly regulate it. Because of strict laws and customs, the natural geography was way better than London. In terms of religion and morality, Utopians are not Christians but they were interested in Christianity and started to be converted. Most of them had their original monotheistic religion similar to Christianity. Some of their religious traditions contradicted the traditions of the Christian church like euthanasia. Utopians believed that pride is the root of great evil. The concepts of nobility, wealth, private property, and currency were scrapped in the Utopian system. labor and goods were equally given to all Utopians. The story ended with a letter sent by More to Giles regarding his reflections on the published work. He was able to show the issues in an entertaining way with the use of imagined places and characters (Davis 44-48).

It can be said that the ideals during the Renaissance period were reflected in Utopia by Thomas Moore. Perhaps perfection and aesthetics were the themes of that period.