What we can learn from a Renaissance nowhere
In 1516, a book was published in Latin with the enigmatic Greek-derived word as its title. Utopia-which could mean either -good-place- or -no-place--gives a traveler-s account of a newly discovered island somewhere in the New World where the inhabitants enjoy a social order based purely on natural reason and justice. As the traveler describes the harmony, prosperity, and equality found there, a dramatic contrast is drawn between the ideal community he portrays and the poverty, crime, and often frightening political conditions of 16th century Europe. Written by Sir Thomas More (1477-1535)-then a rising intellectual star of the Renaissance and ultimately the advisor and friend of Henry VIII who was executed for his devoutly Catholic opposition to the king-Utopia is as complex as its author.
In the form of a Platonic dialogue, Utopia explores topics such as money, property, crime, education, religious t
