The context of Thomas More and Niccol`o Machiavelli's works have vastly different outlooks of the same issues, thus they both are perceived differently among modern scholars. The most obvious (and general) difference between their works is that Machiavelli is a realist/humanist, while More describes how things should be (in a perfect world). While Machiavelli focuses on practical, realistic ways to solve many social, political, and economic issues of his day, More explains Utopia (which literally means nowhere). Both men to criticized every day life, as well as European politics and social structure.

More had two main principles: the government exists for the sole purpose of serving the people (as opposed to people serving the government), and that the suffrage of citizens should influence any political decisions. Based on these standards, he developed his Utopia, which seems radical when compared to modern civilization, and even more diverse...