Utopia- Thomas Moore

1. Christian Synthesis

1.1. The Christian aspect of the synthesis is Christ's gospel of caring for the poor, the oppressed and the downtrodden.

1.2. The Platonic, Republican tradition is the Greek aspect of the synthesis.

1.3. More wrote Utopia with a comedic tone, allowing him to speak his truth while telling a deeper story.

2. Overview

2.1. Thomas More's Utopia is a Christian humanist view of an ideal society.

2.2. More does not simply offer a theoretical view, but provides specifics for how to create this world.

2.3. Utopia offers a Christianized form of Plato's Republic.

3. Eight Themes of More's Utopianism

4. 1. How does Utopia use humor and Parody?

4.1. Utopia means nowhere.

4.2. More called the British pigs by saying their governement was like a pig's sty.

5. 2. How is property divided in Utopia? How does this affect society?

5.1. Its divided into Sty's, it affects society by making them believe that they are pigs.

6. 3. What is working life like in Utopia?

6.1. They know how to complete their jobs and they know agriculture.

7. 4. Why does Utopia use Slavery?

7.1. The people who broke the law are made the slaves, also to teach discipline.

8. 5. What is the government like in Utopia?

8.1. They had just a few people on top to make sure that things were running smoothly, but otherwise they nobody was greater than anybody else.

9. 6. How is Utopia a social critique of Great Britain?

9.1. Because Utopia mocks the inequality of Great Britain and Utopia didn't have a King and Queen unlike Britain.

10. 7. How did they achieve happiness?

10.1. Utopia achieved happiness by freedom of religion, and by being ultimately happy because Utopia is the ideal perfect place for everybody so they are automatically happy.