Property, Welfare and Freedom in the Thought of Thomas Paine.
Edited by Karen M Ford.
The Edwin Mellen Press, New York, Canada, UK, £ 84.95.
This pricey book was written for scholars and researchers, but if you're interested in the man, political thought and history, and can afford it, then enjoy the read. It's not another biography although some pertinent background detail is included. It is, however, a fascinating read about the thoughts of one of England's most notorious sons, who shook the political foundations of his time and continues to inspire.
The authors' objective is to reconcile the apparent contradictions in Paine's thought, including the conflict between his idea of limited government and the democratic will, and the contradiction between his consistent free market liberalism and his proposed welfare system.
The events surrounding the bank of North America make for a fascinating read. After helping establish the bank, Paine finds he has to fight against the withdrawal of its charter because it was not happy to accept the States' paper money. The birth pangs of paper money and inflation, and how silver coin was worth more than its paper equivalent, help to explain why Paine disliked currency laws and thought those who suggested them deserved the death penalty!
The final chapter on whether Paine's idea of welfare payments are a right or charity, demonstrates a good understanding of the arguments. The crux of it hangs on the ethics of property rights. Paine called landlords "drones" and it is his attitude to natural rights which clinches the argument that land is a different kind of property which we all `own' during our lifetimes. His welfare proposals are thus payments in lieu of everyone's stolen natural inheritance, financed by a land tax and inheritance tax, such taxes being perceived as a valid weapon against imbalances of power.
Paine was a moral man, he liked freedom and equity, he disliked monopoly, whether political or economic, and he believed in mankind's underlying goodness. One of his best-known quotes is "where knowledge is a duty, ignorance is crime". His Rights of Man was hugely popular, it was publicly read and then banned. His effigy was burnt, his ideas caused riots and followers were transported. He was revered and hated - forced to flee England but regarded as a patriot by some.
John James
|
