PainePaine
Thomas Paine
was a [[Deist]], thought the Bible was an unhelpful guide to evils
, Common Sense
Class Notes
- Biblical argument against Divine Right of KingsDivine Right of Kings
Divine Right of Kings
King is appointed directly by God. Thus, king is answerable to God alone & to no earthly authority (not even Parliament)
What connection does it have to primeval polytheism?
- economic argument for secession
- argument for secession parallels Catholic provisions for divorce (neglect, abuse, etc)
- emotional appeal - if we don't secede, we will lose greatly (family destitute/killed) (pg 24)
- also, lived experience vibes
- is this PropogandaPropoganda
Propoganda
Potential def from Eliot: using selective information to prepare people emotionally for an action (based on Jacque Ellul)
fear is a powerful motivator
?
Summary
Paine was arguing for the necessity for America to separate from England. First he made a case from the Bible that monarchy is founded in sin, and so the king is not divinely appointed, and hereditary succession is ineffective at best, and destructive at worst. Then he explained how it would be in America's best interests to cut themselves off from England. He said that America would have no quarrels with the European countries, except as dependents of England (for England had frequent wars). And so, if they were no longer vassals of England, they would have more peace. Paine also laid out a simple plan for establishing a common government of America, and emphasized the idea that America's king must be law, and no common mortal. In addition, America at the time he wrote had experienced generals from the previous war, and enough supplies, and so he concluded that the time to separate was now.