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Thomas More Utopian Society

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Greenblatt explains that a direct translation of the word “utopia,” which was first penned by Thomas More, would actually translate to “no place.” If More had instead used the word “eutopos,” it would have meant “happy place” (572). There is debate as to whether or not this was a mistake on More’s part, or if it was an intentional statement of his invention being impossible. However, More reinforces throughout his book grievances with his own idea of Utopia. At the end of his novel, More explains that a Utopian society could never exist in reality due to, in essence, human depravity and greed. He writes, “I was left thinking that not a few of the customs and laws he had described as existing among the Utopians were quite absurd… [M]y chief

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