WHO?

Thomas Paine was a political philosopher and writer who played a significant role in the American and French Revolutions. His philosophy was shaped by Enlightenment ideals and a belief in individual rights, democracy, and the pursuit of liberty. He was born on January 29, 1737, in Thetford, Norfolk, England. Paine received a basic education in England but did not attend university. He worked as an apprentice to his father, who was a corset maker, and later held various jobs as a teacher, an excise officer, and a customs officer. Paine's intellectual curiosity led him to educate himself extensively, and he became well-read in subjects such as politics, philosophy, and science. He was particularly interested in the Enlightenment philosophers such as John Locke, Jean-Jacque Rousseau and Baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu known as Montesquieu.

What he produced

In 1774, Paine emigrated to the American colonies and settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Although Paine didn’t have a formal higher education, his intellectual curiosity led him to become well read. He was deeply influenced by the Enlightenment philosophers who generally advocated for reason and rationality, individuals’ rights and equality. His experiences and observations during the early years of the American Revolution profoundly influenced his political beliefs.

Paine's most influential work, "Common Sense" was published in 1776, and spread like wildfire across the colonies reaching 500,000 of the 2.5 million people in the 13 colonies. Written simply and clearly, Paine argued for American independence from British rule and played a pivotal role in rallying support for the American Revolution. During the revolution, Paine served as a soldier and writer, contributing articles and pamphlets that supported the cause of independence. He also wrote "The American Crisis," a series of essays aimed at boosting the morale of the American troops. After the American Revolution, Paine traveled to Europe, where he became involved in the French Revolution. In 1791, he published "Rights of Man," a defense of the French Revolution and a critique of monarchy and hereditary privilege.

In 1683 John Locke published the Two Treatise of Government where he challenged first the divine right of monarchs and secondly the legitimacy of authority and the rights of individual and governments. Using Locke’s seminal work, Paine believed in the concept of natural rights, which he argued were inherent to all individuals by virtue of their humanity. He asserted that these rights, including life, liberty, and property, were not granted by governments but were inalienable and existed independently.

Paine advocated for the social contract theory from Rousseau’s work (Du contrat social ou Principes du droit politique) The Social Contract and the Principal of Political Right. It suggests that individuals voluntarily enter into a social and political contract with their government. According to Paine and Rousseau, governments derive their legitimacy and power from the consent of the governed, and it is the duty of governments to protect the natural rights of their citizens.

In 1748 Montesquieu published the Spirit of Laws, where he examines the Roman Republic and the benefits of a balanced government with separated powers. Paine supported republican forms of government, where power resides in the hands of the people and is exercised through elected representatives. He criticized monarchy and aristocracy, arguing that hereditary rule was unjust and violated the principles of equality and individual rights. Paine emphasized the importance of limited government, with clear checks and balances to prevent the abuse of power. He believed that a strong central government could potentially infringe upon individual rights, and he argued for a separation of powers to maintain a system of checks and balances.

Although many of the Founding Fathers were well versed in the writings and teachings of these philosophers, it was Thomas Paine who able to bring these principles of liberty and rights to the general public.

2023, is it still relevant?

Democracy can be messy and always seems to live in a world of conflict and chaos. The principles of individual rights, social contracts with the government and shared power are as important today as they were on July 4, 1776. The founding father embraced the logic and ethics of the Enlightenment philosophers to set the foundation for a grand experiment. 

As Paine wrote, "These are the times that try men's souls" well understanding the building conflict. Nevertheless, Paine expressed the resilience ad optimism of America when he wrote "I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection."

And now you know...

Philosophy is the art of thinking, the building block of progress that shapes critical thinking across economics, ethics, religion, and science.

METAPHYSICS: Literally, the term metaphysics means ‘beyond the physical.’ Typically, this is the branch that most people think of when they picture philosophy. In metaphysics, the goal is to answer the what and how questions in life. Who are we, and what are time and space?

LOGIC: The study of reasoning. Much like metaphysics, understanding logic helps to understand and appreciate how we perceive the rest of our world. More than that, it provides a foundation for which to build and interpret arguments and analyses.

ETHICS: The study of morality, right and wrong, good and evil. Ethics tackles difficult conversations by adding weight to actions and decisions. Politics takes ethics to a larger scale, applying it to a group (or groups) of people. Political philosophers study political governments, laws, justice, authority, rights, liberty, ethics, and much more.

AESTHETICS: What is beautiful? Philosophers try to understand, qualify, and quantify what makes art what it is. Aesthetics also takes a deeper look at the artwork itself, trying to understand the meaning behind it, both art as a whole and art on an individual level. A question an aesthetics philosopher would seek to address is whether or not beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder.

EPISTEMOLOGY: This is the study and understanding of knowledge. The main question is how do we know? We can question the limitations of logic, how comprehension works, and the ability (or perception) to be certain.