Thomas More's Ideal Society

Although Thomas More was among the most famous English humanists, Wilcox writes in In Search of God and Self that he did not hold humanism as the center of most of his writings, staying with medieval themes of religion. To this Thomas More might respond that a deep devotion to the Christian religion and a belief in the need for reform coupled with a humanistic perspective were at the heart of his writings. This would place More at the center of Northern humanists who believed that a classical education, especially including the original writings of the early Church fathers, would lead to a more deeply pious, spiritual person and a better society. While Italian humanists focused on the individual person, More focused on the betterment of

society (Monte, 2013; Wilcox, 1975; Rice and Grafton, 1994).
A very devout Catholic, More believed, along with other Northern humanists such as Erasmus, that an education that included study of classical Greece and Rome along with the early writings of the church would lead to a deep piety based on the simple faith of the early Church and not on the elaborate rules, pomp and ceremony of the Church in their time. More could point out that he had experienced a humanist education at Oxford and as a consequence had studied Greek and Latin, gaining a strong reputation in Europe for his Greek scholarship. Greek was also necessary to study the original early church writings, again embracing the early church and its more simple approach to faith which is a hallmark of the Northern humanists. Just as the Italian humanists, More believed that understanding the classics and applying them to your own, current reality was necessary for conscientious choices. As Rice and Grafton put it in The Foundations of early Modern Europe “Knowledge…of the past thus fostered a more detached comprehension of the virtues and corruptions of the present, while the comparison…suggested the revolutionary possibility of conscious choice …” (pp. 87). As with all humanists, More credits man with the ability to use education to make the correct, moral decisions in life. To More and most Northern humanists this would mean a deeper commitment to the Christian faith as espoused in the writings of the early Church (Wilcox, 1975; Rice Jr & Grafton, 1994; Monte, 2013).
More could point to his most well-known work, Utopia, in which he unites all the elements of the Northern humanist.

More’s knowledge of Greek is evident in his choice of title, Utopia, which is Greek for “nowhere”. His humanist education made him familiar with Plato and he used his knowledge in writing Utopia. In the ideal society that More portrays in his work, education is of paramount importance. Like all humanists, More believed education to be the necessary center of a good society. As a Northern humanist, More also believed religion to be the moral center of society. While the citizens of his ideal society hold varied religious beliefs, More underscored his belief that “(if the matter were handled with reason and restraint) the truth of the right doctrine would at last come to light” (More, 1516). This again asserts the Northern humanist belief that, with the proper education, people will reach the right conclusions, especially concerning faith. While More uses his Utopia as a counterpoint to the ills he sees in his own English society, the reader is left with a feeling of ambiguity as to the author’s agreement with all aspects of the ideal society he describes and so must make his own conclusions. Again there is the Northern humanist approach to necessary reform and the ability of man to draw the right conclusions (Rice and Grafton, 1994; Thompson,

1988).
Though Wilcox seems to believe that More was a man of medieval sensibilities, More would probably have disagreed with that assessment.

The expression of Northern humanism did not follow the exact path as humanism in the Italian states. The ideals of humanism and humanist education were incorporated into the European countries according to their own experiences, which is in itself a humanistic approach. This gave rise to what is termed Northern humanism, which embraced not only the classics but the early Church writings as equally of educational importance. As a Northern humanist, Thomas More also embraced these beliefs in an effort to attain deeper piety and a reformed Church and society, and this was apparent in his life and writings (Wilcox, 1975; Rice & Grafton, 1994; Thompson,

1988).