Take-Aways Preface on an Allegedly True Story from the Island of Utopia What It’s About Ideal Society and Ideal State

When the Philosopher Advises the Statesman

In another conversation with More, Hythloday outlines common European power politics using France as an example, in particular as regards marriage policies and bribery. He would suggest to the king of France to give up his Italian possessions, because the country is already too big to be governed well by one king alone. This is what the Achorians did, a people not far from the island of Utopia: Their king had conquered a neighboring country, but he couldn’t pacify it and lost a lot of money trying. So his people asked him to decide in favor of one or the other kingdom, and the wise king left the newly conquered kingdom to a friend, while successfully nurturing and beautifying his own.

It is the fear of want that makes any of the whole race of animals either greedy or ravenous; but, besides fear, there is in man a pride that makes him fancy it a particular glory to excel others in pomp and excess.

The Portuguese goes on to say that a happy and prosperous people is the pride and glory of any king, while an impoverished one turns him into a jailer who battles widespread crime and unrest. In this case, Hythloday puts forward the Macarians, a neighboring people to the Utopians: The Macarian king isn’t allowed to have more than 1,000 pounds of gold in his treasuries and must spend the rest of the money. This keeps him from excessively enriching himself and becoming greedy.

More demurs that such talk is quite edifying in intimate circles but that it would be pretty much out of place in council meetings with princes. Hythloday thus concludes that philosophers should have no business dealing with princes. More then responds that, instead of turning one’s back on politics and the state, one should try to change things step by step, tactfully and by striking the right tone.

Yet [Utopians] do not place happiness in all sorts of pleasures but only in those that in themselves are good and honest.

Still Hythloday disagrees. For him, conforming to those in power is equivalent to lying. Happiness, he continues, only exists in the absence of private property, the only state to which the philosopher could contribute anything at all. He considers rich people mere villains and idlers. More counters that if there were only common property, nobody would have an incentive to work and create value, since he wouldn’t be allowed to keep any of it for himself. People who know nothing but equality would never respect superiors or authorities. More’s objections don’t count for Hythloday, however. Living on Utopia for five years, he says, simply convinced him that it works.