Description
Book SynopsisOn balance we may think of Paine as a secular preacher for the rule of reason.
Trade ReviewA compelling portrait of Thomas Paine as a serious, complex, and often surprising writer... This is a very useful volume for new students of US political thought, as well as for scholars seeking a quick but illuminating overview of Paine's writings and philosophy. Choice 2010 Fruchtman's concise analysis is tightly focused... A coherent vision of Paine's work, encompassing his many contradictions. Times Literary Supplement 2010 An insightful addition to a literature on an under-appreciated democratic theorist. -- Mario Feit New Political Science 2010 After reading The Political Philosophy of Thomas Paine readers will recognise consistencies in Paine's work that reveal, if not a systematic 'political philosophy', certainly a marvellous political thinker. -- Jeffrey D. Hilmer Political Studies Review 2011 Jack Fruchtman's compact study of the political philosophy of Thomas Paine constitutes the fifth volume in the series, The Political Philosophy of the American Founders, edited by Garrett Ward Sheldon. Fruchtman's study adds more luster to the fine reputation already enjoyed by this series in progress... [T]he reader desirous of perusing a cogent and thought-provoking exposition and analysis of Paine's writings should consider reading, first, this monograph, multum in parvo, by Jack Fruchtman. Eighteenth-Century Intelligencer Fruchtman is a Paine enthusiast, and if this succinct account does not provide the same biographical stir one gets from other works (his earlier book included), it is nonetheless a great way for the newcomer to appreciate the range, diversity, and raw power and brilliance of Paine's ideas. Claremont Review of Books 2011
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
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
