The utopian vision of Thomas More as presented in his work Utopia contrasted with the dynamic nature of European politics and nationhood in the Tudor era. Arguably, the progress and beneficial change made during that era could be attributed to that dynamism, showing that improvements are not made in static systems. From More's point of view, however, the turmoil of the time was a negative force, and he developed a society that would eliminate most turmoil and strife, producing a society without conflict.
Sir Thomas More, also known as Saint Thomas More (because of sanctification by the Catholic Church) is probably best known for his confrontation with King Henry VIII, for which he lost his life. He was a statesman as well as a political and social philosopher. His most famous work is his Utopia, a book in which he created his version of a perfect society and gave his name to such conceptions ever after as "utopias." The word is of Greek origin, a play on the Greek word eutopos, meaning good place. In the book, More describes a pagan and communist city-state in which the institutions and policies are governed entirely by reason. The order and dignity of the state in this book contrasted sharply with the reality of statecraft in Christian Europe at the time, a region divided by self-interest and greed for power and riches. In this book, More included discussions of a large number of topics covering the institutions of society, including penology, state-controlled education, religious pluralism, divorce, euthanasia, and women's rights.
The nature of European society at this time is evident in Paul Kennedy's analysis of the era. This was very soon after the year 1500, the date selected by many scholars to mark the divide between modern and premodern times. Kennedy emphasizes that this was the era when Europe was poised to become the dominant force in the world, though this was not apparent to the people of the time. K...