Thomas More, Desiderius Erasmus, and Humanist Philosophy in Utopia

Thomas More, Desiderius Erasmus, and the Rise of Humanism

  • Historical Context and Humanism:

    • Medieval education was highly restrictive.
    • Humanists sought to develop a new type of society, establish new writing styles for history and language, and reform universities.
    • Classical Greek and Roman philosophy had been forgotten during the Middle Ages and required rediscovery by going back thousands of years.
    • Rediscovered classical authors included Homer, Horace, Virgil, and Abeleus.
    • The revival of classical texts occurred slowly across the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries due to the absence of modern technologies such as email, Xerox machines, or modern bookstores.

  • Thomas More and Desiderius Erasmus:

    • Thomas More was a powerful official, diplomat, classical scholar, one of the greatest lawyers of his era, and a leading humanist (distinct from Beckett, who was an earlier powerful religious and judicial official).
    • More's intellectual development in London was deeply influenced by meeting Desiderius Erasmus (spelled d e s I d e r I u s E r a s m u s), a famous scholar from The Netherlands.
    • Erasmus traveled to England in 1499.
    • The intellectual collaboration between More and Erasmus was comparable to that of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, with each author writing works and commenting on the other's writings.
    • In 1515, Thomas More authored Utopia, a major text exploring how individuals can enjoy life and maintain individuality.

Core Debates on Society, Provision, and Individuality

  • Societal Best Interests and Free Provision:

    • A primary focus of humanism is debating what structures and conditions are best for society.
    • A central debate involves universal basic provision versus personal work incentives:
    • While general agreement exists that society must ensure everyone is fed, debate arises regarding free food distribution.
    • Critics argue that providing free food may eliminate incentives for individuals to work for their sustenance over the long term or after many years.

  • Individuality versus Basic Provisions:

    • Standardized public provisions are limited to basic items such as standard milk or bread.
    • True individuality is reflected in personal selection and customization:
    • Eating at a restaurant such as Chipotle allows an individual to customize a meal by requesting specific additions like guacamole and sour cream, producing a unique meal tailored to personal choice.
    • Standardized public welfare provisions lack this capacity for personal expression and individuality.

Work Structure and Daily Schedule in More's Utopia

  • The Six-Hour Workday:

    • More asserted that contemporary labor structure was deeply flawed.
    • In the theoretical world of Utopia, the mandatory workday is set to exactly 66 hours per day (in contrast to standard 88-hour workdays or working multiple jobs).
    • Under this 66-hour work model, society fully guarantees every citizen's needs: food, housing, clothing, and medical care.

  • Intellectual Activity and Free Time:

    • Free time created by a 66-hour workday was intended for citizens to pursue intellectual activities, such as reading and reflective thinking.
    • Modern human behavior contrasts with this utopian expectation:
    • Given an unscheduled free day (such as a canceled school day on a Friday), average students do not naturally default to intellectual pursuits.
    • Instead, typical choices include sleeping in, visiting friends, playing sports ("ball"), or traveling to destinations such as Atlanta.

Prescriptive Ideals versus Real-World Human Nature

  • Early Morning Public Lectures:

    • The daily routine in Utopia requires citizens to attend public lectures before work:
    • For a work shift starting at 9:00 AM, free public lectures would be held at 7:15 AM or 7:30 AM.
    • Citizens would set early alarms (e.g., waking up at 5:45 AM), shower, dress, and drive to a lecture hall (even on topics outside their main interest) before proceeding to work.
    • In reality, most people reject such grueling early morning requirements regardless of how interesting the subject matter might be.

  • Prescriptive versus Descriptive Models:

    • Utopian theories represent prescriptive expectations ("how people should be") rather than descriptive reality ("how people are").
    • Prescriptive theories assume people should be consistently nice, honest, helpful, and cheerful; while compelling on paper, these ideals rarely align with real human behavior.

Liberal Arts Education versus Specialized Career Training

  • Defining Liberal Arts Education:

    • Utopia emphasizes a liberal arts education, defined as obtaining a comprehensive grasp across multiple fields (such as writing, history, psychology, English, and philosophy) rather than narrow specialized training.
    • Direct vocational/trade tracks (such as engineering programs) focus strictly on technical skills from day one, preparing graduates to immediately step into well-paying jobs.
    • Given modern education costs, many students view university primarily as a four-year investment to secure immediate financial return.

  • Trade-offs of Liberal Arts Degrees:

    • Liberal arts disciplines build extensive broad knowledge, but an undergraduate liberal arts degree does not prepare a graduate for a single specific trade like engineering.
    • A illustrative historical case of societal attitudes toward liberal arts occurred in the 1980s:
    • A student returning from the Midwest (Ann Arbor / University of Michigan) announced to his parents that he had decided to major in English.
    • His parents reacted with extreme alarm and distress, believing an English major in the 1980s offered no financial security and would lead to starvation.
    • This decision created long-term family concern because the student had previously always been obedient and compliant.