Utopisches Denken im Mittelalter?

Abstract

Against the background of the concept of utopia which Thomas More relates to the term ‘Utopia’, the meaning of utopian thinking in the Middle Ages is examined. On the one hand this is achieved by the comparison of the relevant philosophical and historical assessments from the perspective of medieval studies and others. On the other hand utopian thinking is dealt with in regard to Christine de Pizan’s ‘Livre de la Cité des Dames’. Insofar the concept of utopia as emphasized by Thomas More functions methodically as an example for utopian thinking by which it is appraised in how far medieval thinking in general and the thinking of the mentioned author in particular can be referred to as utopian thinking. As a result the question arises if utopian thinking in the Middle Ages is actually of functional nature; moreover the difference of utopian thinking of Christine de Pizan and Thomas More concerns the difference between the understanding of reason as a human possibility and of reason in general.