回复: 当~当~当~ 希望读书会即日(6.5)成立了~
介绍一本自己认为的好书,
托马斯·潘恩,《常识》。
节选:
泛论政权的起源和目的,并简评英国政体
有些作者把社会和政府混为一谈,弄得它们彼此没有多少区别,甚或完全没有区别;而实际上它们不但不是一回事,而且有不同的起源。社会是由我们的欲望所产生的,政府是由我们的邪恶所产生的;前者使我们一体同心,从而积极地增进我们的幸福,后者制止我们的恶行,从而消极地增进我们的幸福。一个是鼓励交往,另一个是制造差别。前面的一个是奖励者,后面的一个是惩罚者。社会在各种情况下都是受人欢迎的,可是政府呢,即使在其最好的情况下,也不过是一件免不了的祸害;在其最坏的情况下,就成了不可容忍的祸害;因为,当我们受苦的时候,当我们从一个政府方面遭受那些只有在无政府的国家中才可能遭受的不幸时,我们由于想到自己亲手提供了受苦的根源而格外感到痛心。政府好比衣服,是天真纯朴受到残害的表征;帝王的宫殿是建筑在乐园的亭榭的废墟上的。如果良心的激发是天日可鉴的、始终如一的和信守不渝的,一个人就毋需其他的立法者;但事实并非如此,他觉得有必要放弃一部分的财产,出钱换取其余的人的保护;谨慎小心的原则在其他任何场合都劝他两害相权取其轻,现在这个原则也促使他这样做。因此,既然安全是政府的真正的意图和目的,那就毫无疑义地可以推断,任何看起来最有可能保证我们安全的形式,只要是花费最少而得益最大,都是其他一切人所愿意接受的。
的确是好书
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Common Sense was a pamphlet written by
Thomas Paine. It was first published anonymously on
January 10,
1776, during the
American Revolution. Paine wrote it with editorial feedback from
Benjamin Rush, who came up with the title. The document denounced
British rule, and through its immense popularity contributed to fomenting the
American Revolution. The second edition was published soon thereafter. A third edition, with an accounting of the worth of the
British navy, an expanded appendix, and a response to criticism by the
Quakers, was published on
February 14, 1776.
Paine donated the copyright for
Common Sense to the states, and as one biographer noted, Paine made nothing off the estimated 150,000 to 600,000 copies that were eventually printed (various sources disagree on the number of printed copies in Paine's lifetime). In fact, he had to pay for the first printing himself.
Substance of Pamphlet
Arguments against British rule in
Common Sense:
- It is ridiculous and against natural law for an island to rule a continent.
- Europe is unlikely to see peace for long and whenever a war breaks out between England and a foreign power, the trade of America would go to ruin due to the economic connection.
- It is no longer a "British nation"; it is composed of influences from all of Europe.
- Even if Britain was originally the "mother country" of America, that makes her current actions all the more horrendous, for no true mother would harm her children so deplorably.
- Remaining a part of Britain will drag America into unnecessary European wars, and keep it from the international commerce at which America excels.
- That government is best that governs least.
- Society represents all that is good about humanity, government represents all that is bad about it.
- The distance between the two nations makes the lag in communication time about a year for something to go round trip. If there was something wrong in the government, it would take a year before the colonies would hear back.
- The New World was discovered before the Reformation. This was evidence for the Puritans that God wanted to give them America as a safe haven free from the persecution of British rule.
- Criticizes the English Constitution, saying that the right for the House of Commons to "check" the king is meaningless. The king claims the right to rule by God and overrule Parliament at will; therefore, any "checking" is at best a misnomer.
The publication of this pamphlet was key in the growth of popular support for independence from Britain.
Thomas Jefferson took ideas from both this publication and
John Locke when writing the
Declaration of Independence.
Less-quoted sections of the pamphlet include Paine's optimistic view of America's military potential at the time of the Revolution. For example, he spends pages describing how colonial shipyards, by using the large amounts of lumber available in the country, could quickly create a navy that could rival the
Royal Navy.
Common Sense was tremendously popular. Thomas Paine's pamphlet sold as many as 600,000 copies to a population of 3,000,000 (one for every five people) which would be equivalent to 60,000,000 copies sold in present day America.
[edit] Proposed constitution
Constitution of the United States as proposed by Thomas Paine in
Common Sense
In the pamphlet, Thomas Paine proposes a constitution of the United States as well as a method to be used for the purpose of drafting a
Continental Charter (or
Charter of the United Colonies) that would be an American
Magna Carta. The diagram on the left provides a visual representation of the proposed system, which featured a combination of elections through ballot voting and allotment in order to select the president as well as the passing of laws with no less than 3/5 of the Congress:
[edit] Quotations
- "Some writers have so confounded society with government, as to leave little or no distinction between them; whereas they are not only different, but have different origins." (opening line)
- "I offer nothing more than simple facts, plain arguments, and common sense . . ."
- "A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right, and raises at first a formidable outcry in defense of custom."
- "Society is produced by our wants, and government by 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. Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a necessary evil."
- "Time makes more converts than reason."
- "Every thing that is right or natural pleads for separation. The blood of the slain, the weeping voice of nature cries, 'tis time to part."
- "But where says some is the king of America? I'll tell you friend, he reigns above, and doth not make havoc of mankind like the royal brute of Britain. ... so far as we approve of monarchy, that in America the law is king."
- "O ye that love mankind! Ye that dare oppose, not only the tyranny, but the tyrant, stand forth! Every spot of the old world is overrun with oppression. Freedom hath been hunted round the globe. Asia, and Africa, have long expelled her--Europe regards her like a stranger, and England hath given her warning to depart. O! receive the fugitive, and prepare in time an asylum for mankind."
- ". . . we have every opportunity and every encouragement before us, to form the noblest purest constitution on the face of the earth. We have it in our power to begin the world over again. A situation, similar to the present, hath not happened since the days of Noah until now. The birthday of a new world is at hand, and a race of men, perhaps as numerous as all Europe contains, are to receive their portion of freedom from the event of a few months."
- "That there are men in all countries who get their living by war, and by keeping up the quarrels of Nations, is as shocking as it is true; but when those who are concerned in the government of a country make it their study to sow discord, and cultivate prejudices among Nations, it becomes the more unpardonable."
- "Wherefore, since nothing but blows will do, for God's sake, let us come to a final separation."
- "Small islands not capable of protecting themselves are the proper objects for kingdoms to take under their care; but there is something very absurd in supposing a continent to be perpetually governed by an island."
Common Sense used many Biblical references to support its assertions, playing to the strong influence of religion in Colonial America.
[edit] Trivia
This article contains a trivia section.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items into the main text and removing inappropriate items.
This article has been tagged since
May 2007.
- Common Sense was attacked by many loyalist writers of the time. One of the more famous examples was the pamphlet entitled Plain Truth written by Lt. Col. James Chalmers under the pen name "Candidus" in 1776.
- The only book to outsell Common Sense at the height of its popularity was The Bible.
- Despite all the success of "Common Sense," Paine died poor and in obscurity.
- A section of Common Sense was quoted in the video game Deus Ex, and can be found in a weapon's dealer's house in Paris.