At the age of twenty, he lived for four years in the Carthusian monastery adjoining Lincoln’s Inn and practiced the habits of the monks. Whilst he followed his father’s trade, Thomas became fascinated with the study of theology.The young Thomas was also able to pursue his study of literature which included reading of the Bible and other religious texts, and writing various literary genres.He became a full member of the profession, an ‘utter barrister’ in 1501.Two years later in 1494, his father insisted that he should pursue the study of common law in London he was accepted at the Lincoln’s Inn which would prepare him for admission to the bar in 1496.Believed to have great potential, Thomas attended Oxford University through the nomination of Morton, where he studied Latin and formal logic for two years.Anthony’s School, and also spent his time in the household of the Archbishop of Canterbury, John Morton from 1490 to 1492. Thomas attended one of the most precious schools in London, St.His father was a knight, lawyer and subsequently a judge of the King’s Bench.He was born in London to parents Sir John More and Agnes nee Graunger on February 7, 1478.Sir Thomas More was raised in a wealthy environment.Saint Thomas More was canonised in 1935, and was declared “the heavenly Patron of Statesmen and Politicians” in 2000.His demise was tied to his loyalty to the old faith and refusing to acknowledge Anne Boleyn as King Henry VIII’s new queen. His competence in trade matters and policy-making earned him a place in the King’s council, which he served for years. His most known work, Utopia was published in 1516, a book that denounces European societies blinded by possessions and riches, and supported the ideal of an egalitarian communist state.A devout Roman Catholic, he considered joining the Franciscan order when he was young but ultimately decided to remain a layman. Sir Thomas More was an English thinker, writer, and barrister.More's Utopia established the genre of philosophical utopias much the way in which Montaigne and Bacon established the essay as a philosophical form. From the Stoics More gets the notions that mankind form a natural commnnity and the assumed existance of natural law. The new emphasis on the philosophy of pleasure comes from More's understanding of Epicureanism. In contrast to the Platonic Republic, More's society is a communistic democracy and not an aristocracy with communism confined to the ruling elite. Plato's Republic and the Laws provide models for More's reflections on the good citizen and the good state, but More's Utopia is significantly different from these models and blends a variety of philosophical influences. It is thus one of the first books to invoke the analogy between the great voyages of discovery and discoveries of the mind. More coined the term "utopia" which is a pun meaning both "good place" and "no place." More's Utopia is discovered on a voyage to the newly discovered Americas. This process was to be continued by Pierre Gassendi. Epicureanism was being Christianized by Lorenzo Valla and Erasmus. Christianity and Stoicism had many close connections from early on. Aristotle had been Christianized by St Thoma Aquinas. The alliance between Platonism and Christianity was as old as Saint Augustine, but had been revived in the Renaissance by Marsilio Ficino. Renaisance thinkers were mainly concerned with four ancient schools - Aristotelianism, Platonism, Stoicism and Epicureanism. He was friends with such humanists as Erasmus, John Colet, Thomas Linacre and others. More is an excellent example of the early English Renaissance. This drama was made into a play and an excellent (though not historically accurate) film - A Man of for All Seasons. As Chancellor to Henry VIII he refused to sanction Henry's divorce of Queen Catherine. Thomas More) is famous for his book Utopia (1515) and for his martyrdom.
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