- More presents such a prolonged introduction to enable readers understands the contents of the book. The introduction gives a glimpse into what the author plans to present to the reader. The author used a prolonged introduction because it does not only serve as an introduction, but a commentary to the second part of the book. The importance of having Raphael debate with More about the value of his council in European courts is to help More explore how best to counsel a prince, a popular topic during that period. The debate allows both parties to highlight the ills affecting Europe.
- In More’s utopia, there is no capitalism. The similarity between the myth of Golden Age and More’s Utopia is that everyone is free to pursue their interest, including attending lectures, reading, gardening, or similar undertakings.
- Considering More’s utopia in relation to the European fixation with gold, it is clear that the utopians observing More’s tenets do not participate in this myth. Apparently this myth is capitalistic as it emphasizes the pursuit of materialistic value. It is important also to mention that the anti-capitalist utopian society is not compatible with the capitalistic myths of Europe.
- As a matter of fact, there are many similarities between the utopian social formation and the social formation that Cosgrove sees developing in the early United States. The main similarity is that in both concepts, there is emphasis on pursuit of personal interests. While this may apply to both, there is a notable difference – the societal formation that Cosgrove envisions does not only emphasize liberalism, but also capitalism, a concept that More’s utopia is not compatible with.
- The order that Cosgrove stresses is a social organization, where the leadership is tied to the legal frameworks, with bureaucracy being the central idea. In this order, rigid structures and strict procedures are observed. We do see a lot of evidence of it in More’s description of utopia because, according to More, the society is highly structured.
Works cited
More, Thomas. Utopia. Rockville, Md: Arc Manor, 2008. E-book
