More and Raphael talk a really long time...

I like that for once, the speaker’s name is the same as the author’s. (Although, we still cannot automatically assume they are the same person. Maybe More just ran out of names for characters?) The fact that More’s Utopia is so influential makes me feel better for telling vague stories. I feel like I am listening to a friend talk on and on about what he thought was the most important part of his conversation with Raphael, which is a nice change of how storytelling I approached from Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales.

Raphael sounds like the ultimate critic of… everything (except Utopia and its surrounding countries, of course). He shoots down the suggestion that he should be an advisor to a king, since kings don’t care about philosophy, and he argues against England’s current punishments for criminals, pretty much saying execution does not get at the root of the problem nor does it deter crime. Raphael comes off as kind of a bad-ass philosopher who doesn't like the game, nor does he intend to change it because that would require going through imperfect channels.

Maybe it is just me, but I like Raphael’s preferred punishment system, as it insists proportionality between the punishment and crime, and ensures fair payment to the ones harmed. It seems like a better version of our current jail system since prisoners are not physically locked up (although I wouldn't say I would relish getting a piece of my ear chopped off). It is strange that he comes up with fake scenarios of him presenting ideas at meetings, but it gets the message across that philosophy and politics don’t mix well.

Raphael also doesn't want to justify society’s immoral actions and would rather say what he really thinks even if no one agrees, which is pretty noble, but I still don’t get why he left Utopia to just talk about it but not actually try to affect kings or even get them interested in philosophy. Anyway, (sorry if this is all over the place) I am looking forward to hearing more about Utopia in Book 2!

Yes, these are dancing prisoners.