The political philosophy of Thomas Paine
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
The political philosophy of Thomas Paine
（The political philosophy of the American founders）
Johns Hopkins University Press, 2011, c2009
- : [pbk.]
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Note
Rev. ed. : 2009
"Jons Hopkins paperback edition, 2011"--T.p. verso
Bibliography: p. 205
Includes index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
This concise, thoughtful introduction to the work of Thomas Paine, author of Common Sense and Rights of Man, explores the impact of one of the most influential minds of the American and French Revolutions and the sources from which his thinking evolved. In Jack Fruchtman Jr.'s helpful interpretation, Paine built his argument for radical revolution in 1776 on a study of nature and Providence and a belief in natural rights. Men and women owed it to themselves to break the chains of rank, hierarchy, and even organized religion in order to live freely, embracing the possibilities of invention, progress, and equality that lay ahead. In 1793, at the height of the French Revolution and its secularizing fury, Paine reminded readers that it was nature's God who created natural rights. The rights of man thus held out both the great potential of freedom and the requirement that human beings be responsible for those who were the least fortunate in society. On balance we may think of Paine as a secular preacher for the rule of reason.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. Paine's Political Thought in Historical Context
2. Faith and Reason, Human Nature and Sociability
3. Common Sense, Authority, and Autonomy
4. Permanent Revolution and Constitution Making
5. From a "Hamiltonian" Spirit to Public Welfare
6. Public Spirit, Civic Engagement, and Evolutionary Change
Conclusion
Appendix: A Note on Paine's American National Consciousness
Notes
Recommended Reading
Index
by "Nielsen BookData"
