Humanism in Utopia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Humanism in Utopia - Essay Example 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. Afterwards, More returned to London to pursue law and he was admitted to  Lincoln's Inn as a barrister. Despite of 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 the  Carthusian discipline. The religious habits were 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 a 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 on Utopia was greatly influenced by the concept of humanism. The broad concept of humanism is concerned with the what aspects to become a 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 favor the classical pagan beliefs revolving around the philosophy of secularism or the appreciation of worldly pleasures. It also promoted individualism. Prosperity and gr owth in trade increased the interest in materialism or worldly pleasures even though people formed 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 the 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