Thomas More's Utopia

Lawrence Wilde is Emeritus Professor of Political Theory at Nottingham Trent University, UK.

• Introduction1. More and His Masterpiece2. Reason, Faith and Discovery: The Context of Utopia3. Politics4. Economics5. Social Relations6. Law, War and Religion7. The Achievement of Utopia8. Epilogue

This is a rich and nuanced analysis of a truly enigmatic text. Wilde elegantly and deftly explores the complexities of the work to try to determine More's intentions, and seeks to relate these to pressing contemporary socio-political problems. A fine addition to the literature.Vincent Geoghegan, Emeritus Professor of Political Theory, Queen's University, Belfast, UKThomas More's Utopia is a work of radical social and political theory which is of continuing relevance. Larry Wilde does justice to a work that is dedicated to social justice. He sets the text in context and explores its radicalism and answers questions relating to its author and its meaning. This is an excellent study of More that deserves to be widely read, by students, scholars and all those interested in political radicalism and social justice. Gary Browning, Professor of Political Theory, Oxford Brookes University, UKLawrence Wilde has brought his wealth of intellectual acumen to bear upon one of the most renowned and contentious texts to have emanated from an Englishman's pen. He shows convincingly how, through the medium of fiction, a profound political statement was thrust upon the world. More's Utopia is the prelude to many of the pressing issues of the early modern period and on to the present day, including vegetarianism; animal rights; the ordination of women priests; but most strikingly social oppression and elite privilege. It is five hundred years since the publication of More's Utopia, but Professor Wilde has made it resonate with our deepest contemporary concerns and sentiments. David Boucher, Professor of Political Philosophy and International Relations, Cardiff University, UK and Senior Associate Researcher, University of Johannesburg, South AfricaWilde’s nuanced study of the complexities of Thomas More’s groundbreaking call for a just society in the developing English nation could not be more timely given the 500th anniversary of Utopia. Through this critical work, More created a method of radical analysis and transformation that is ever more necessary in the quest for ecological and social justice in contemporary societies. Tom Moylan, Glucksman Professor Emeritus, School of Culture and Communication, and Founding Director, Ralahine Centre for Utopian Studies at the University of Limerick, Ireland