Utopia (Norton Critical Editions)
by Thomas More
published
December 19th 1991
(first published 1516)
by W. W. Norton & Company
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binding
Paperback, 260 pages
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isbn
0393961451
(isbn13: 9780393961454)
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 2764)
Thomas More is traveling in the Low Countries when he sees his friend, Peter Giles. Giles introduces him to a well-traveled friend of his, Raphael Hythloday.
Raphael speaks of many countries and their policies and laws, and freely criticizes the laws of their own countries.He then begins speaking of a country, Utopia, which he thinks is ruled very well and is a perfect country.
More begs Raphael to speak more of Utopia, and he does. He first tells of their towns, which are all as identical...more
Raphael speaks of many countries and their policies and laws, and freely criticizes the laws of their own countries.He then begins speaking of a country, Utopia, which he thinks is ruled very well and is a perfect country.
More begs Raphael to speak more of Utopia, and he does. He first tells of their towns, which are all as identical...more
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Read in September, 2008
This is essentially a 16th c. Christian humanist reflection on Plato’s Republic in the context of contemporary Europe and Henry VIII’s England in particular. The Utopia isn’t seriously intended as a model, though there are critiques made in earnest and concepts no doubt intended seriously, some radical for the time – elimination of private property, democracy, (relative) equality for women, legal suicide for terminal illness, etc. Unfortunately Moore places his book in close proximity ...more
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Read in October, 1970
recommended to erik by:
Alan Jonesrecommends it for: those interested in utopian thought
Being award twenty-four semester hours of credit for work done before matriculation, I entered Grinnell College with the expectation of taking a lot of relevant coursework. Consequently, I paid little attention to requirements and, during '69-70, took three Social Science electives, one of which was Alan Jones' "Seminar on Utopia and Society."
At Grinnell, a traditional residential college, pretty much all students are aged 17-21 while professors are 40+. One forgets that there is...more
At Grinnell, a traditional residential college, pretty much all students are aged 17-21 while professors are 40+. One forgets that there is...more
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Read in June, 2008
recommends it for:
Commies, socialists, naive suburban kids
This is one of the worst books I have ever read. Poorly written, annoyingly condescending, ridiculously simplistic and more than anything, stupid.
No wonder why the commies (Lenin and others) commemorated More in the early days of communist Russia. his ideals are to "get rid of the beggars" by forced labor, allow no private ownership of anything, no specialization of labor, (yet still have a highly artistic/agrarian society, everything totally equal, (except for the "temporary...more
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Read in November, 2007
recommends it for:
Those interested in government and/or philosophy
Although it took me 2 whole months to read a relatively short novel, I liked Moore's well-referenced Utopia. The first book is a little slow, but picked up a little at the end. The second book is way more interesting, going into details about this relatively unknown land of Utopia. This story is told from Moore's memory of a conversation he had with a man who traveled to the land of Utopia. Everything from fashion to politics is covered in their discussion, which although is very interesting, is...more
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Read in March, 2008
The man was brilliant but his ideas are relatively impractical for application in a society based on capitalism. His impact on future Utopian experiments was widespread and after reading his well-thought out book I can see why people actually tried it. The book is short, but not a quick read. It covers every aspect of society from government to religion, from rules of warfare to communal sharing of property. For people studying the reasons a modern Utopian society failed, comparing it with th...more
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Not my Review, but taken partial from :
Library of the World's Best Literature
By Edward Cornelius Towne
Written in Latin in 1615, "Utopia" by Sir Thomas More, is the source from which have been taken many of socialistic ideas... At the time it was written, the author, fearing to acknowledge these ideas as his own, attributed them to a mythical person.
In describing the land of 'Utopia' he had visited, he called attention to the abuses then prevalent in England--punishment ...more
Library of the World's Best Literature
By Edward Cornelius Towne
Written in Latin in 1615, "Utopia" by Sir Thomas More, is the source from which have been taken many of socialistic ideas... At the time it was written, the author, fearing to acknowledge these ideas as his own, attributed them to a mythical person.
In describing the land of 'Utopia' he had visited, he called attention to the abuses then prevalent in England--punishment ...more
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Read in January, 2008
Utopia is a must for anyone wanting to better understand the history of political science. More gives his idea of a perfect society, through a Marco Polo-like analysis of the fictional Utopia's government, culture, and views on religion, etc. What makes it especially impressive is to see the views on the separation of Church and state and the freedom of religion from someone living in the 1500's. Some other interesting parts include the idea that our culture determines what we value (Utopian...more
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"for everywhere one may hear of ravenous dogs and wolves, and cruel men-eaters, but it is not so easy to find states that are well and wisely governed."
"For most princes apply themselves more to affairs of war than to the useful arts of peace; and in these I neither have any knowledge, nor do I much desire it; they are generally more set on acquiring new kingdoms, right or wrong, than on governing well those they possess: and, among the ministers of princes, there are none tha...more
"For most princes apply themselves more to affairs of war than to the useful arts of peace; and in these I neither have any knowledge, nor do I much desire it; they are generally more set on acquiring new kingdoms, right or wrong, than on governing well those they possess: and, among the ministers of princes, there are none tha...more
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Read in April, 2008
I loved this book. I thought it was a fun look at the "naturalness" of capitalism (the whole argument for Utopia is how reasonable and natural that social arrangement is) and had great arguments against private property. Even though the imaginary communal society persecutes atheists and executes adulterers, it had a few redeeming qualities! What was really shocking and upsetting to me was the accuracy with which Raphael described and condemned capitalism, which was really only in its...more
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Thomas More was well ahead of his time, he was a man who was both a devout catholic and a man dedicated to equality, principle and education (even for women). Sadly, its his principles that cost him his head during one of Henry VIII tantrums, but nevertheless, Utopia is a fascinating idea. On the surface, it makes sense that, in a time when the lower classes were so oppressed, a story like this would arise that idealises communal living, equality and tolerance. The thing is though, those oppress...more
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Yes, it it a made up world. Yes, it would not work given human nature and its propensity to selfishness, pride, and greed. Yes, the modern American sensibility chafes at its limitations on individualism and perfect human freedom (defined today as the rights to consume and to be entertained). Others attack it as communism. I am instead struck by More's good humor and his thoughtful construction of an alternative world based on something other than greed and power. That it exists only in imag...more
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I started reading this book for three reasons. 1. It belonged to my sister. 2. They refer to it in the movie "Ever After" (which is one of my favorite movies) 3. It seemed like a smart book to read.
This is a very hard book to read it was written in Latin in 1516. I am not giving up on it. I want to finish it one day, just not today. There is a lot to take in, and I think I need to attack it at a slower pace. However, I already found a quote I loved.
Pg 30 " one ...more
This is a very hard book to read it was written in Latin in 1516. I am not giving up on it. I want to finish it one day, just not today. There is a lot to take in, and I think I need to attack it at a slower pace. However, I already found a quote I loved.
Pg 30 " one ...more
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Read in November, 2007
recommends it for:
like history, philosophy, political science
This is an interesting book for a nummber of reasons, not the least of which being that the author, Sir Thomas More, was a devout Catholic and leading official in Tudor England who nevertheless wrote this treatise-satire about an ideal society that was both communal and religiously tolerant. It is still disputed as to what More was actually trying to say in writing this work. I'm inclined to believe that, for the most part, he was sincerely praising the Utopian society, while nevertheless real...more
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I simply could not really bring myself to end this book. Maybe it's because it is full of descriptions or maybe because Utopia doesn't really exist and it's not something we should strive after it. Humanity isn't about achieving "Utopia" but about achieving something bigger, at least in my opinion. We shouldn't settle on a simple and easy "perfect way of life". Humanity is not about being perfection, it is about reaching new higher goals that brings us closer to perfection bu...more
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"Utopia" Sir Thomas More created a new way to mobilize energies, and showed options that had remained hidden from the eyes of those who weren't happy with their societies. Behind the name of "fiction", he gave politics new intruments of discussion, and opened to it novel ways of considering reality, in the light of what could/should be.
There is no politics without the idea that something better can be achieved, without the kind of imagination that allows us to think that...more
There is no politics without the idea that something better can be achieved, without the kind of imagination that allows us to think that...more
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This book coined not only a word that we are all familiar with, but a whole idea of what life could be. More's ideas have been used as inspiration by numerous groups of people attempting to found their own Utopian societies, like the Shakers or Karl Marx. However, More seems less to advocate such fantastic, unrealistic dreams than to warn his readers of the potential catastrophes that could result in their realization. This is necessary reading not just due to the breadth of its influence (ev...more
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Read in February, 2008
This type of authorial critical distance is just maddening. More's opinion on the matters discussed is more or less invisible: he uses mouthpieces in dialogue and suppresses the first-person almost completely. Nevertheless, apart from being entirely a-polemic, it is wonderfully entertaining and funny. One gathers though that there is something historically relevant to the text that is lost to the casual reader; it seems to have had a non-trivial position (it was apparently very popular) in ea...more
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Read in December, 2003
recommends it for:
European History Interests...maybe
Thomas More was better at being a martyr then being an engaging writer. Probably going to hell now, but with all the science fiction out there, all the utopia/dystopia motifs oozing out of everything, and this version not even being the first example of a literary Utopia (not to mention that this "Utopia" is clearly no utopia at all), this book is better left to Medieval literature classes or on the shelf all together.
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Everyone is always describing the perfect civilization as a Utopia- but how many of these everyday people have ever taken the time to read this 500 year old book of 150 pages? And do they realize that the name broken down from its Greek (ou topos) means NOT PLACE. It is an impractical scheme for social improvement- not just a description of some ideal place with perfect laws, government, and social conditions!!
I compare this Utopia described by Sir Thomas More to the 'ideal community' in Lois...more
I compare this Utopia described by Sir Thomas More to the 'ideal community' in Lois...more
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