Historically, authorities misidentify truly transformative ideas. The 16th-century Inquisition obsessively censored minor Protestant theological disputes while ignoring Machiavelli. Later, censors worried more about astrology in *Paradise Lost* than its revolutionary anti-monarchal rhetoric. Censors are poor predictors of which ideas will actually change the world.

The Reformation enabled the Enlightenment not because its doctrine was inherently progressive—early Protestantism was often fundamentalist—but because it broke the Catholic Church's intellectual monopoly. This fracture created a marketplace of ideas where different philosophies could compete, and forced societies to find ways to coexist with disagreement.

After months of defiance, Joan suddenly recanted at the sight of the execution pyre. She later admitted her reason was brutally simple: "I did it for fear of the fire." This reveals the immense psychological pressure she faced, framing her ultimate defiance as a return to her core identity despite the fatal consequences.

Protestantism offered a direct route to heaven through good deeds and faith, eliminating the need to pay the Catholic Church for "indulgences." This reframes a major religious schism as an appealing financial proposition for a populace being heavily taxed for salvation.

Rather than labeling More as simply "evil" for persecuting heretics, it's more accurate to see his actions as stemming from fear. He believed the Lutheran heresy would lead to the complete breakdown of his society, and this conviction fueled his violent opposition.

The word "Machiavellian," implying self-serving cunning, describes a fictional character, not the man. The real Niccolò Machiavelli was a selfless patriot who endured torture and exile for his loyalty to Florence. The villainous character is a useful cultural idea now completely separate from its historical namesake.

We view the surveillance and lack of individuality in *Utopia* as dystopian due to post-Enlightenment values. However, More intended this as a feature. He saw individuality as the sin of pride and designed Utopia to prioritize the public and shared over the private.

More's work is not just satire. It posits that 16th-century European society is built on artificial constructs like money and property. In contrast, the island of Utopia, by prioritizing essentials like virtue and utility, represents a truer, more "real" form of existence.

Their famous friendship wasn't a simple meeting of minds. More found Erasmus to be "high maintenance," and their relationship ultimately broke down over More's decision to become Lord Chancellor and abandon his scholarly life, not over theological differences.