Paine on Common Sense: Revolution Quote

Context

Thomas Paine published Common Sense in January 1776, at a critical moment in the American colonial crisis. The battles of Lexington and Concord had been fought, but the Continental Congress was still divided on the question of independence. Paine's pamphlet — written in a clear, forceful style accessible to ordinary readers — transformed the political landscape. It sold over 100,000 copies in its first three months and is widely credited with shifting public opinion decisively toward independence.

The passage above appears early in the pamphlet, where Paine establishes the theoretical framework for his argument. He distinguishes between society and government: society arises from our natural need for cooperation and companionship, and it is always a positive good. Government, by contrast, is a response to our moral failings — it is a "necessary evil," required only because human beings are not always capable of treating one another justly. In its best state, government is a necessary evil; in its worst state — the tyranny of monarchy — it is an intolerable one.

Philosophical Meaning

Paine's distinction between society and government is a radical simplification of the social contract tradition. Where Hobbes had argued that society without government is a state of war, and where Locke had argued that the state of nature is governed by natural law but is nevertheless inconvenient, Paine argues that society is inherently beneficial. It is not government that creates society but society that creates government — and only because society needs a remedy for its own imperfections.

This inversion has profound implications. If society is naturally good and government is a necessary evil, then the purpose of government is strictly limited: it is to restrain the wickedness of a few, not to direct the lives of the many. The more government does, the more it risks becoming the very evil it was created to remedy. Paine's argument is thus a powerful case for limited government, popular sovereignty, and the right of revolution.

The phrase "necessary evil" is carefully chosen. Paine does not deny that government can be necessary; he simply insists that it is never good in itself. It is justified only by its necessity, and its justification extends only as far as its necessity. When government exceeds its proper bounds — when it becomes a monarchy that rules by hereditary right rather than popular consent — it ceases to be a necessary evil and becomes an intolerable one. At that point, the people have not only the right but the duty to abolish it and establish a new government.

Modern Relevance

Paine's distinction between society and government remains a powerful framework for thinking about the proper scope of political authority. Libertarians and anarchists cite Paine's argument that government is a necessary evil to support their case for minimal government. Conservatives and traditionalists cite his defense of society — the spontaneous order of families, communities, and voluntary associations — against the encroachments of the state. Even those who favor a more expansive role for government must contend with Paine's warning that government, however necessary, is always a potential danger.

The pamphlet also speaks to the question of political rhetoric. Common Sense was effective not because it introduced new ideas but because it made old ideas accessible. Paine wrote in plain language, used vivid images, and appealed to the common experience of his readers. The success of the pamphlet is a reminder that political philosophy is not only for academics — that the ideas of philosophers can move millions when they are translated into the language of ordinary life.

In an age of political polarization, declining trust in institutions, and the rise of anti-establishment movements, Paine's skepticism about government resonates powerfully. The claim that government is a necessary evil, not a divine gift, challenges both the authoritarian claim that government must be obeyed without question and the technocratic claim that government can solve all our problems. For Paine, the right attitude toward government is neither reverence nor contempt but vigilance: we must always be ready to limit it, to reform it, and, when necessary, to replace it.