Thomas More was one of the most prominent figures of the 16th century and one of the foremost early modern humanists in England. He is known for his social and political activities, followed by his philosophical works. The best demonstration of his views and ideas concentrated in one work is in Utopia, his book written in 1516, where he uses all the tools he has to critique the Western European monarchy, with its inequalities in wealth distribution and justice system. As for solution he gave place based on the teachings of christianity and ancient greeks, where reason and only reason dictates everything.
As a pre-enlightenment thinker, he is very far from religious skepticism, which has become a big and popular idea 100 years after More, when many of the famous enlightenment thinkers started working on topics of human nature and god. However, he presents a very interesting perspective on the transition between the religion-based philosophy and reason-based philosophy, as he himself puts reason as the highest priority. For him, we should believe in god, because reason leads us to it. He also thought that god created humans and the human soul as the image of him by reason. More discusses the importance of using reason, especially in governmental and justice structures in his works. He demonstrates that following reason will lead us to a moral and good life. He also ironically dramatizes how human beings use their reason to decide not to follow reason in his “The history of King Richard III”, which is a slightly expected comment from someone whose ideas and writing style are deeply influenced by Plato.
Finally, I think he would be a good start for this course, as his work would present the ideas about human nature and understanding, before the Enlightenment period. Studying him provides valuable historical context for the later philosophers on the syllabus, and helps us see the ideas they were responding to and ultimately challenging. He would also be a valuable philosopher to compare with figures like Spinoza and Hume—showing, in one case, how different conceptions of God can separate two thinkers, and in another, how differing views of human nature and the mind can shape contrasting perspectives on society and governance.