Paine Vs. Marx
The debate over the distribution of property and the unnatural inequality it produces has long troubled political thinkers, as Jean-Jacques Rousseau mused in his Discourse on the Origins of Inequality: It is obviously contrary to the law of nature, however it may be defined for a child to command an old man, for an imbecile to lead a wise man, and for a handful of people to gorge themselves on superfluities while the starving multitude lacks necessities. (Rousseau, p. 869) Thomas Paine wrote in his classic The Rights of Man that he wished to "[restore] justice among families by a distribution of property…" (Paine, p. 177) This sentiment was seemingly echoed by Karl Marx in The Communist Manifesto when he spoke of the "…the crying inequalities in the distribution of wealth…" (Marx, p. 34). However, a more careful review of the texts in context (For these authors cannot be read in a political vacuum, the ramifications of the environment in which their arguments originated must be considered) will reveal to us two arguments that while similar in theory, differ in implementation. Paine's proposal for redistribution of property was seen by some as radical for his time, (a time devoid of any progressive tax scheme of note) but still in
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1342
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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