Non temere sed iudicio. Prozesse der Urteilsfindung in und um Thomas Morus’ Utopia

Abstract

This article sheds light on the term iudicium (“judgment”) and its use in Thomas More’s Utopia. The methodological approach comprises a lexicographic examination of iudicium and semantically related terms, which serves as a basis for the subsequent close reading of core passages of Utopia. The chosen extracts are indicative of a meticulously calibrated game that the English humanist engages in: thematic bipolarities between books one and two generate fields of tension, in which processes of judgment emerge as vital catalysts to transport innovative ideas, which call for changes of the juridical status quo as well as the prevailing corruption of values in contemporary England. The concluding examination of the paratexts surrounding Utopia (i.e. letters of the author to his humanist friends) and their thematization of iudicium contribute an additional layer to the literary‑aesthetic understanding and the intended reception of this epochal work