Thomas More
(1478 - 1535)
Thomas More (1478-1535) was a British humanist scholar who coined the name "utopia" [from ou-topos, "no place"; and eu-topos, "good place"]. Utopia was an ideal nation whose features stood in contrast to the warring nations of Christendom. More describes the imaginary island's political system in his celebrated work Utopia (1516). In common with the Dutch humanist and theologian Erasmus, More defended ethical hedonism on religious grounds. More claimed that our desire for happiness motivates us to act morally as God wishes; but if so, then the historical record suggests that the pleasures of vice are much greater.
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