Thomas More's Religious Origins And Thoughts In Utopia

Thomas More's Utopia is regarded as a canon of Utopian Socialism. In this book, the author not only castigated the cruel plunder upon the peasants by the capitalism, he also presents us an ideal state which discards private ownership. Chinese studies of Utopian mostly depend on the studies of communism, focus their themes on the depictions of communist life in Utopia the island and are devoted to the research of the evolution and development of communism as a though reflecting on human's progress.However, the author, More, is a Christian Humanist, who was involved in the studies of classic Greek works and devoted his life to the Catholic Church. In his religious polemics against Luther Martin, he stands firmly with the church and presents his ideas of an ideal and pure religion, which can also been found in Utopia. But More's religious ideas in this book are usually neglected by Chinese scholars. This thesis will summarize the core of the Utopians religious thoughts and discuss the customs, value, moralities of the Utopian society from the religious perspective. More's design for Utopian religions is derived from his for the reform of the Catholic Church. Based upon reason, Utopian religions become the moral guide and principles for the life of Utopians. A re-examination of the structure of this book and the Utopian life will represent religion's decisive role in this perfect commonwealth.