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Title: Rights of Man (Wordsworth Classics of World Literature) by Thomas Paine, Derek Matravers ISBN: 1-85326-467-9 Publisher: Wordsworth Editions Ltd Pub. Date: August, 1997 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.5 (4 reviews)
Rating: 2
Summary: Historically important, but can't stand on its own.
Comment: This book is important for the historian who wishes to get a glimpse into the workings of the mind of an important figure in American Revolutionary history, but it doesn't stand on its own. It is written almost entirely as a response to Edmund Burke's "Reflections on the Revolution in France", so I would not recommend reading this one until and unless one has read that one. Otherwise, it is impossible to judge the fairness of the rebuttals of Burke's points, as one only sees them through Paine's perspective, and Paine is far from a fair and impartial debater; he misses no opportunity to belittle his opponent's arguments, and even his opponent himself. I would not be at all surprised to discover that he gives an inaccurate picture of what Burke had to say, particularly given that history speaks rather better of Burke's misgivings than of Paine's panegyrics. Both books were written before the Reign of Terror that resulted from the revolution in 1793; the second part of this book came out in early 1792. Also, history shows us just how silly some of Paine's claims for a Republican, representative government are: 200+ years of representative government in the US have hardly banished wars, or the high taxes associated with them, even though the world as a whole is far more democratic than it was at his time. He makes some good points, and certainly it is hard to stand up against him in favor of hereditary monarchy, but it is apparent that he failed to see that not ALL "democratic" movements were necessarily benificent, even if it would be hard to have much sympathy for the autocratic regime that they overthrow.
Rating: 5
Summary: Defender of Self Government
Comment: Thomas Paine's "Rights of Man" is truly a classic defense of self government and reprsentative republicanism. Paine copmletely demolishes Edmund Burke's defense of aristocracy and monarchy as outmoded and absurd institiutions. Paine shows the immorality of monarchy and the plunder that it commits on it's own people through high taxes,unjust property laws,and priveleges for the nobility. Paine shows the virtues a representative system has over the monarchial form. He denounces aristocracy and monarchy as "frauds" and based upon tyranny. The first review by Will Murphy critsizing Paine as a sort of statist is way off the mark. Paine did recommend many ideals of the welfare state. It must be remembered he was speaking to an age where a large wealthy aristocracy ruled alongside the monarch, living in luxury off the high taxes drained from the middle, lower and working classes. Paine was one of the formost defenders of freethought in religion,speech, and ideas.To imply Paine was a sort of 18th century fascist is utterly absurd and ahistorical. Paine was not an enemy of property, just an enemy of aristocracy,who in his day did not obtain property by hard work. Usually property rights in monarchial nations were written to favor the wealthy and powerful, and grant them priveleges at the expense of the populace. Paine completely destroys the ideal that a chosen few were meant or ordained by God to rule. If you love freedom, you can't go wrong with the "Rights of Man".
Rating: 2
Summary: Founding Work of Modern Statism
Comment: This book, above all others, reveals the breakdown of classical (libertarian) liberalism into the statist liberalism of today. Although the first part of the work, being a refutation of Edmund Burke's silly nonsense, is stellar, and is well worth reading. Regardless, the second part, the chapter on "Ways and Means" in particular, is composed of the most despicable, anti-liberty doctrines that one can find. What Paine basically proposed was a late 18th century form of the welfare state, replete with progressive taxation, subsidies for child birth, and other fine statist amenities. Thus, as all of these things are, in his words, to be claimed as rights, the title of this book comes to mean nothing whatsoever. It is indeed sad that Thomas Paine has gained such an enduring legacy as a friend to liberty. In truth, he is actually one of its worst enemies, as he combines a just zeal for resistance to oppression, revolution, and reason, he sabotages his entire political philosophy.
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Title: Common Sense by Thomas Paine ISBN: 0486296024 Publisher: Dover Pubns Pub. Date: 22 April, 1997 List Price(USD): $1.50 |
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Title: The Declaration of Independence and Other Great Documents of American History, 1775-1865 (Dover Thrift Editions) by John Grafton ISBN: 0486411249 Publisher: Dover Pubns Pub. Date: 20 June, 2000 List Price(USD): $1.50 |
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Title: Democracy in America by Alexis De Tocqueville, Richard D. Heffner ISBN: 0451528123 Publisher: Signet Pub. Date: 05 September, 2001 List Price(USD): $7.95 |
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Title: Civil Disobedience and Other Essays by Henry David Thoreau ISBN: 0486275639 Publisher: Dover Pubns Pub. Date: 20 May, 1993 List Price(USD): $1.50 |
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Title: The Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay, Clinton Rossiter, Charles R. Kesler ISBN: 0451528816 Publisher: Signet Pub. Date: 01 April, 2003 List Price(USD): $7.95 |
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