More's *Utopia*: a radical Renaissance vision

In one of the most perennially fascinating of all imaginary worlds in European literature, Thomas More describes in captivating detail an alternative to the systematic greed and brutality of his own society, depicting a land without kings, religious persecution, private property, hunger or exploitation. But at what human cost? And how plausible is his vision? We look closely at Utopia, a work which has inspired debate and imitation for nearly five hundred years.

Aims

This course aims to: 

• provide you with a grounding in key aspects of the historical and intellectual context within which More’s Utopia was written
   
• equip you to explore concretely the Utopia’s critique of 16th-century European society and its central institutions
   
• enable you to understand the grounds on which the Utopia’s vision of an alternative society is founded, and to assess that vision critically

Content

Sir Thomas More lived during a period of profound upheaval in European society, in which we can see in retrospect the end of the Middle Ages and the birth of the modern world. Modern nations and the beginnings of a capitalist economy were emerging in the place of older feudal institutions. Contact with previously unknown cultures in the Americas was upending old certainties about geography, history, and human society. The new humanist learning of the Renaissance had taken hold in Italy and was spreading to other countries, including England, accelerated by the newly invented printing press, which was radically expanding access to books, both old and new, not least those that promulgated unorthodox ideas. With these changes came profound challenges to the form, doctrines, and even the unity of that central medieval institution, the Catholic Church.

More himself was one of the most learned and admired intellectuals of his time, who rose through his talents to become not only a renowned thinker and writer but an important adviser and minister of King Henry VIII, before being brought down and ultimately executed as a result of his principled stand against Henry’s separation of the church of England from the universal authority of Rome. Yet before he became either a royal servant or a celebrated martyr of the Roman Catholic Church, he was already known as the writer of a brilliant work of the imagination, the Utopia, in which he described a nation living virtuously and happily without benefit of the authority of either a king or an institutional Christian church, and in which, indeed, he described in scathing terms the pomp and hypocrisy of royal and religious authorities in his own society, attributing to them many of the evils from which his Utopians were free.

We will look closely at this great and enigmatic work, examining its significance in relation to its own historical moment. We will consider its status as one of the great works of the new humanist learning, touch on its classical heritage in Plato’s Republic, and place its penetrating and critical vision of its own time in relation to important contemporary works including Machiavelli’s Prince. Finally, we will consider its importance in the history of European thought, as one of the great and lasting commentaries on the nature of power and its relation to human happiness and misery.

Presentation of the course 

The course will be taught as a seminar, using a flexible mix of class discussion, lecture-style presentation, and collaborative reading of key passages from the text.

We will be looking closely together at the text of the Utopia, so you must bring a copy of the specified edition to every class. (Other translations are not adequate for our purposes.)

Course sessions

1. The Utopia in its historical and intellectual context
    
2. Life in Utopia – could it work?
    
3. Life in Utopia – at what cost?
    
4. Radical Utopia – holding a mirror to Europe
    
5. Scholarly Utopia – philosophy, religion, and education

Learning outcomes

You are expected to gain from this series of classroom sessions a greater understanding of the subject and of the core issues and arguments central to the course. 

The learning outcomes for this course are:

• to learn about the historical and intellectual context within which More’s Utopia was written
   
• to explore the Utopia’s critique of 16th-century European society and its institutions
   
• to understand the grounds on which the Utopia’s vision of an alternative society is founded, and to be able to assess that vision critically

Required reading

*  More, Thomas, Utopia, Edited by George M Logan. Translated by Robert M Adams (Cambridge University Press 2016, 3rd Edition)

More’s Utopia was written in Latin. Numerous translations into English have been made over the centuries. This is one of the most readable and scholarly. Please read this translation prior to the course and bring your copy to every lecture. Attempting to use any other translation in class will make the discussions very difficult to follow.

Typical week: Monday to Friday 

Courses run from Monday to Friday. For each week of study, you select a morning (Am) course and an afternoon (Pm) course. The maximum class size is 25 students.   

Courses are complemented by a series of daily plenary lectures, exploring new ideas in a wide range of disciplines. To add to your learning experience, we are also planning additional evening talks and events. 

Evaluation and Academic Credit  

If you are seeking to enhance your own study experience, or earn academic credit from your Cambridge Summer Programme studies at your home institution, you can submit written work for assessment for one or more of your courses.  

Essay questions are set and assessed against the University of Cambridge standard by your Course Director, a list of essay questions can be found in the Course Materials. Essays are submitted two weeks after the end of each course, so those studying for multiple weeks need to plan their time accordingly. There is an evaluation fee of £75 per essay. 

For more information about writing essays see Evaluation and Academic Credit. 

Certificate of attendance 

A certificate of attendance will be sent to you electronically after the programme.