Foundations: A Seminar on the Great Books of Political Philosophy – Paine

This was the second installment of a reading group where Dr. Christopher Coome, a post-doctoral fellow with the Civil Discourse Project, introduced students to the foundational ideas and philosophies that have shaped modern politics. During this session, the group delved into Thomas Paine’s classic text, The Rights of Man, a treatise widely regarded as a seminal work in liberal political philosophy. Dr. Coome guided participants through Paine’s powerful defense of the French Revolution and his critique of hereditary government, exploring how the author’s radical arguments for natural rights, popular sovereignty, and republican government challenged the political establishment of his era. The discussion examined Paine’s accessible writing style and his ability to translate Enlightenment principles into language that resonated with ordinary citizens, making complex political theory available to a mass audience.