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Discussion: Thomas Paine - The Rights of Man
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Hyang |
Thomas Paine - The Rights of Man
Mar 20 2009, 9:09 PM EDT
Thomas Paine argues against Edmund Burke’s Reflections on the Revolution in France in his work, The Rights of Man. He claims that men have rights that are innate, that they are born with. He states that “every generation is equal in rights to the generations which preceded it, by the same rule that every individual is born equal in rights with his contemporary.” Making his point that all men are equal in their rights, he moves on to claim that men came into the world to have their rights “better secured.” He makes a distinction between natural and civil rights. Natural rights are rights belonging to the individual from birth. Civil rights are rights that the individual has in relation to being part of a larger community. He uses theories by Locke to support his claims. He also makes the point that “every civil right has for its foundation some natural right pre-existing in the individual.” Thus, while he makes the distinction between a civil and natural right, he is able to tie them together.
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