Sir Thomas More was one of England's most famous men during the reign of Henry VIII, a staunch Catholic who opposed the Reformation and ended up losing his head when anti-Catholic forces within Henry's court became more influential.

More's execution is still notorious and controversial even today, but he is best remembered for the work Utopia, which envisioned a model of a perfect society. Utopia was written out in stark contrast to European societies of the time, and even today the word is synonymous with paradise, even as societies continue to strive to be more like a Utopia, even as...