Rights of Man - Hardcover

Paine, Thomas

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1605205443 ISBN 13: 9781605205441

Publisher: Cosimo Classics, 2008

Synopsis

Great part of that order which reigns among mankind is not the effect of government. It has its origin in the principles of society and the natural constitution of man. It existed prior to government, and would exist if the formality of government was abolished. The mutual dependence and reciprocal interest which man has upon man, and all the parts of civilised community upon each other, create that great chain of connection which holds it together. The landholder, the farmer, the manufacturer, the merchant, the tradesman, and every occupation, prospers by the aid which each receives from the other, and from the whole. Common interest regulates their concerns, and forms their law; and the laws which common usage ordains, have a greater influence than the laws of government. In fine, society performs for itself almost everything which is ascribed to government. ―from Chapter I: “Of Society and Civilisation” He was the premiere political “blogger” of his day, a man Thomas Edison called “one of the greatest of all Americans,” and one today’s liberals and progressives still claim as their intellectual forefather. An idealist, a radical, and a master rhetorician, Thomas Paine wrote and lived with a keen sense of urgency and excitement. In this 1791 defense of revolution, he championed the right of an oppressed people―and in particular the right of the French people―to rise up to claim their own natural rights from those who would take them away. A spirited denunciation of the aristocracy and of hereditary government, The Rights of Man caused outrage in Great Britain with its call for democratic reforms of the English system, and Paine was convicted in absentia for seditious libel against the Crown. (He was, alas, not available to be hanged.) Everyone who values freedom―of speech, of though, of governance―and the ongoing fight required to maintain it must read and appreciate this essential work. Anglo-American political theorist and writer THOMAS PAINE (1737–1809) was born in England and emigrated to America in 1774, bearing letters of introduction from Benjamin Franklin. He also wrote Common Sense (1776) and The American Crisis (1776–1783).

About this title

Review:

Paine's book-length essay in political philosophy is primarily a polemic aimed at Edmund Burke's 1790 'Reflections on the French Revolution', which criticised that revolt as savage and illegal. David Rintoul narrates it as a polemic, sounding by turns coldly angry, cuttingly sarcastic, and excitedly partisan, as well as reasonable when Paine expresses his approval for the revolutions in America and France. Paine's elegantly clear writing, though aimed at the common man demands thought and attention; Rontoul's precise, animated, articulate reading helps the listener follow it. Though Paine was wrong about the nature of the French Revolution and the incorruptibility of republics, his ideas about the rights and freedoms of citizens are still germane--and still radical. Rintoul delivers them with intelligent passion. --Audio File 2008

He gives Edmund Burke a rich plummy reading. Paine's voice is incisive and direct. Although some of the text is dry (the section on finances, for example), most is filled with reason, logic and irony. These are eternal words of wisdom from a man of principle. Today's politicians should read them again and again. --soundcommentary.com

From the Back Cover:

He was the premiere political "blogger" of his day, a man Thomas Edison called "one of the greatest of all Americans," and one today's liberals and progressives still claim as their intellectual forefather. An idealist, a radical, and a master rhetorician, Thomas Paine wrote and lived with a keen sense of urgency and excitement. In this 1791 defense of revolution, he championed the right of an oppressed people--and in particular the right of the French people--to rise up to claim their own natural rights from those who would take them away. A spirited denunciation of the aristocracy and of hereditary government, The Rights of Man caused outrage in Great Britain with its call for democratic reforms of the English system, and Paine was convicted in absentia for seditious libel against the Crown. (He was, alas, not available to be hanged.) Everyone who values freedom--of speech, of though, of governance--and the ongoing fight required to maintain it must read and appreciate this essential work. Anglo-American political theorist and writer THOMAS PAINE (1737-1809) was born in England and emigrated to America in 1774, bearing letters of introduction from Benjamin Franklin. He also wrote Common Sense (1776) and The American Crisis (1776-1783).

About this edition

• Publisher: Cosimo Classics
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1605205443
• ISBN 13: 9781605205441
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 188