Sunday, June 8, 2014

Laws Are 'Of Nature', Says Thomas Paine


Thomas Paine was a massive influence on the late 18th century secession movements in the America's and France.  It has been argued that he, not Thomas Jefferson, wrote the Declaration of Independence for the former British Colonies of North America.

One thing for sure is that Paine was hated by monarch's all over Europe.  In The Rights of Man he wrote:   

All the great laws of society are laws of nature. Those of trade and commerce, whether with respect to the intercourse of individuals or of nations, are laws of mutual and reciprocal interest. They are followed and obeyed, because it is the interest of the parties so to do, and not on account of any formal laws their governments may impose or interpose.

To test Paine's claim, simply ponder this question.  Which law do you actually follow in your day-to-day life?  Laws of nature and morality or millions of pages written by thousands of lawyers scattered across hundreds of buildings over 3,000 miles?  



2013 U.S. Federal Register
Contains 80,000 Pages of New Rules
   
For more on Paine see his bio.

h/t Don Boudreaux for the Paine quote.

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