Rights of Man
by Thomas Paine · Published 1791
A political and historical work that takes natural rights and the legitimacy of government seriously. Some of its arguments belong to its own era, but the central idea still holds up.
What works
- Clear political argument.
- Historically important.
- Strong defense of individual rights.
- Useful for understanding modern liberal political thought.
What doesn't
- Strongly tied to its historical context.
- Some arguments feel dated.
- More political polemic than systematic political philosophy.
Political authority should derive from the rights of people rather than inherited privilege and arbitrary power.
A political and historical work that takes natural rights and the legitimacy of government seriously. Some of its arguments belong to its own era, but the central idea still holds up.
Was this useful?
Counts appear once there are 5 votes.