Thomas More Poverty

Through Utopia, Sir Thomas More gave the leaders of his time key insights to help improve his world by stating that leaders should not use poverty to control their people. Utopia states that, “it is wrong to think that the poverty of the people is a safeguard of public peace.” By this, More means that people should not be dependent on the government. A leader should not keep his people in poverty, as it benefits nobody other than the leader, who can hold control over said people dependent on him. Poverty risks “public peace” by increasing the chances of people committing crime, as they have much to gain and nothing to lose. More believed that, for the public to prosper and feel safe, people must be able to earn their own bountiful pay, remaining independent from their government. Hard work and opportunity will bring said pay, if leaders rule justly and give the people an opportunity to earn it. Through Utopia, More expressed this belief that leaders should not use poverty …show more content…
In Utopia, More exclaims that rulers should, “curb crime, and by his wise conduct prevent it rather than allow it to increase, only to punish it subsequently.” More means that good leaders should prevent crime before it happens, rather than punishing it afterwards. Harshly punishing crime does not mean preventing it. People will still commit malicious acts no matter how harsh the punishment may be. Rather, More wants rulers to take strict preventative measures to stop crime, such as curbing poverty. Leaders need to make an environment where there is no motivation to commit crime, thus creating a more peaceful and prosperous society. That is what it means to live in a “utopia”. In Utopia, More criticizes rulers for harshly punishing crime rather than trying to prevent it, thus allowing crime to increase over