Raphael Hythloday In The 1500s

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What always struck me as bizarre punishing administration back in 1500’s Europe, was the complete lack of crime distinction. Therefore the penalty for all crimes was the same. This approach to sentence is completely barbaric and uncivilized by the standards of the times we live in now. A character from Thomas More’s Utopia, Raphael Hythloday, doesn’t fail to mention this problem either, although the story was published an entire half a century earlier. Though the punishment was brutal, the number of criminals never decreased. As the question of thievery was raised in Book 1, Raphael proceeds to explain the unceasing phenomenon constant robbery. The root of the thievery problem lies in the structure of the government. Since by the 1500’s…show more content…
The king’s counsels consisted of people “who envy everyone else and admire only themselves (Ut. 1. More, p. 15)”; their only objective was to climb higher on the ladder of power and wealth. Free of any management from the king, they conspired against each other and exploited their peasants. From their very childhood they were raised lazy and luxurious with no restrictions from stealing the land from the peasants if they don’t bring enough profit. Such uncontrolled government is perfect grounds for crime thriving. Simple farmers were powerless against their masters. When left with nothing, they begin questioning the stability of law, referencing the invincibility of the rich who have done them the injustice. Understanding, then, that law is practically absent, they turn to theft in desperation. And more often than not,…show more content…
The world of Europe at that time was fairly isolated, other lands and customs were not as explored as they are now. That society had a strong feeling of self importance, almost bordering an attempt to proving themselves to their neighbors in familiar games of politics with the same exact rules. As developed as politics and foreign relations were for that time period, people haven’t practiced diplomacy enough to start to reflect upon themselves and try to advance. New grounds just started to be explored and the ones that were near, performed the same type of governing as their neighbors. Man seemed small and scattered too far apart to really connect and learn from each other. The seeming advancement of Europe, shown in scientific and material progress, made their society think that only they alone are a measure of what a government should be, making them blind to other ways control. Other political customs were unheard of and thus only one type of governing was imbedded in the countries mentality. Only rare, thinking individuals, who were open minded and have traveled enough to be exposed to beneficial ideas from other continents, recognized the deficit of mutual respect among humans in the country. Unlike Utopia, people were judged and put value to according to their social status, which most of them had no control over. People of lower
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