Utopia by Sir Thomas More

Is Sir Thomas More a Communist? Or, is he simply basing a society on his Catholic and Humanistic beliefs? Is Utopia truly a Utopian society when people lose free choice and are brainwashed? On the surface, Utopia seems like the perfect community where everyone helps each other and, instead of survival of the fittest, the mentality represents that of a brother's keeper. Only, slaves are treated less than human, sinners are enslaved, people need permits to leave their communities, euthanasia is encouraged, and people lose their individuality. Utopia? Not really.

I admire the fact that More used this book to denounce Henry VIII's tyranny, but he's simply replacing one form of dictatorship for another. He claims that people would be "the same," yet by the end of the novel, distinctions in class have been drawn yet again. Regardless, considering More wrote this in 1515, he was a visionary who loved his religion, hated injustice, and hoped for a better society.

On a side note, More gives some pretty sound advice about brides and grooms inspecting each other like a horse owner would inspect a horse before buying it. I think we can learn something from his ironic comparison