Thomas Paine vs. Edmund Burke

Paine vs. Burke

This paper will discuss the philosophical conflicts between Thomas Paine and Edmund Burke's thoughts during the 1700's. The first part of this essay will expound a brief introduction of both Paine and Burke. The second and third portions of the essay will present both sides arguments on relevant topics such as government, government rule, and revolution. The last part of the essay will explain how both sides ideas and thoughts are still relevant today.

Paine and Burke were and still are known today as polar opposites of one another. Burke, a catholic Irish philosopher and statesman, was known for his extreme conservatism. Burke valued tradition and the principle of status quo. Paine, a protestant English writer and pamphleteer, was known for his liberal ideals along with his dislike of monarchy, the king, and the rich. Paine advocated revolution and popular democracy.

Government was a consistently debated topic between Paine and Burke. In Common Sense, Paine says:

Society is produced by our wants, and government by our wickedness; the former promotes our happiness POSITIVELY by uniting our affections, the latter NEGATIVELY by restraining our vices. The one encourages intercourse, the other creates distinctions. The first is a patron, the last a punisher...Government, like dress, is the badge of lost innocence; the palaces of kings are built upon the ruins of the bowers of paradise. - Thomas Paine, Common Sense

This excerpt demonstrates and shows Paine's feelings towards government overall. Paine is not a die-hard supporter of government as a whole, but he understands it is necessary and unavoidable for some kind of government to become established. The quote "remissness will point out the necessity of establishing some form of government to supply the defect of moral virtue." helps define why migration to one's country causes pressure to establish some kind of government. Paine understands there has to be a solid foundation of laws...