2019-05-05

More was born in a middle-class family.He was sent to Oxford to study under humanists.As a middle-class man,he felt the need to push forward out of the confines of feudal society ,to consolidate a strong and,he hopes,an enlighted national government.But as a humanist, he was disgusted with the plunderous measures and corrupt life of the King Henry eight.So he wrote Utopia which described his ideal republic country.He also wrote two biographies,the second remained unfinished.What's more,Dialogue of  Comfort against Tribulation,this is an important religious work of More and the finest of his contemplative writings.

Utopia adopts a form of conversation between More and Hytholoday,a returned voyager,More was profoundly influenced by Plato's Republic,but he was also fascinated by the accounts of the recent explorations in the newly discovered nations.It iddivided into two books,the first contains a long discussion on the social conditions of England and a picture of contemporary England.The second describes his ideal communist society in detail.Utopia is a word comes from Greek,which means "no place",Moore used it to name his ideal commonwealth.The conditions depicted in Utopia are markedly contrast with those of English society,presenting a sharp criticicm of current English society.

Though a good thinker,More shows no revolutionary in the sense of wishing to arouse the people or to start revolutions among exploited people.From upper sections of London merchant,he shared many views with middle-class people. He looked at peasants rising,he didn't believe rising activities among ordinary people."All for people but none from people"is his watchword.

More lived in a society based on handcrafts,the world was facing the very really problem of productivity.More solved this problem in Utopia partly by reducing wants through abolishing the luxury,partly by the system of bondsmen,who need to do works which people are unpleasant to do.This system seems to be out of place in a classless,still remaining some features of exploited society.

More could see and know the problems in fuedal England,but in that society,he couldn't find a way that the classless society could realize.In this point,More,with other Utopians,were in thier common weak place.Only after the emerging of scientific socialism is it possible to realize More's ideal socialism.But it is still a wonder that More at that time could anticipate some features of a classless society.