Thomas Paine: The Forgotten Founding Father
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- Опубліковано 10 лют 2025
- On today's episode of FFRF's Ask an Atheist we are joined by cartoonist Paul Fitzgerald, renowned sculptor Zenos Frudakis and the Founder and President of the Freethought Society, Margaret Downey. Together they will discuss the forgotten Founding Father, Thomas Paine.
Learn more about the Freedom From Religion Foundation at ffrf.org.
Kudos for recognizing Thomas Paine, the "Age of Reason" deserves to be acknowledged as great as any writing in history.
My favorite founding father.
Same here.
About time Paine to get some credit. Well, there has been some mentions by U.S. officials here and there, but people in general should understand his importance. Little bit less Washington in schools and little bit more Paine... I recommend fantastic lecture about Paine by Christopher Hitchens.
Paine was absolutely one of most important humanistic philosophers of all time. Not only in America but also in Europe during french revolution. Hugely underrated thinker. Intellectual giant!
Tom was a revolutionary in the best sense of the word. Afflicting the comfortable and comforting the afflicted. He was too much revolution for His world or likely this one as well.
His strong and persistent voice was the brightest and clearest as various choruses came to sing with him and left him in turn.
Thomas Paine being a deist helped me a lot with my religion deconversion.
Me, too! It was the bridge from belief/faith to reason and deism and finally to atheism.
I’m a fan of Thomas Paine! Looking forward to supporting the statue placement.
Reading, "Common Sense," & "The Age of Reason," were very important to molding my thoughts as a teenager.
One of my big take aways was the argument against the Divine Right of Kings doctrine, as Mr. Paine explained that the ancestors of kings were just the most violent and brutal thugs of their times, not religious icons of some sort.
Paine was an amazing man. I can't wait for the book to come out!
Me too. I've always loved Thomas Paine.
Sometimes it's almost hard to believe Thomas wasn't a time traveler, though he was definitely a visionary. A lot of people resort to moral relativism when, for example, justifying Washington's slave ownership and unwillingness to push for abolition. Thomas is a perfect example of how people of the past had every capacity to make sound moral judgements, even in a society which might not agree with those judgements. Thomas didn't predict what would be moral in the future, he concluded what was universally moral and made the prediction that the future would tend towards a more just society as more people come to those same moral conclusions and are willing to stand up for what is right
Thomas Paine:
•Animal rights
•Abolition
•Women's rights
•Social security
•Public schools
•United nations
Wow, I had no idea. I'm definitely getting that graphic novel as well as other books about him. I'll also consider helping out the cause mentioned by Margaret.
FFRF: why not post links in the description?
Forgotten? Not by me! He's always been my favorite ff because he was such a firebrand, didn't give a shit what people thought, and spoke truth to power.
The best Founding Father.
Yes indeed.
You Got That Right
Paul, really enjoyed the discussion! Also, I love the Mandelbrot Set on your wall! I met Benoit Mandelbrot in the 1990s when he was attending a meeting at the University of Minnesota. He was very amused when I asked him to sign my copy of his book on fractals because nobody had ever asked him for his autograph before. A very humble and delightful man. If you are ever in Minnesota, I will likely hit you up to autograph my copy of your book as well😈
Christopher Hitchens talked about Thomas Paine a lot and his role in both the American and French revolutions.
Hitchens even wrote a biography about Paine. Hitchens called Paine the greatest Englishman who ever lived.
Along with Jefferson T. Paine is my favorite founder.
Me too. First Tom Paine, then Tom Jefferson.
Yes!
I cannot fully understand why (as of now) there are three downvotes for this video, which should be zero (I suppose this just proves the FFRF continues to be needed and their work is not yet done).
There's a statue of Thomas Paine in his birthplace, the town of Thetford, in Norfolk. It's a rather grotesque pose. There used to be pub near it called The Rights Of Man, but it closed some years ago. Paine's design for an iron bridge was very advanced. Paine was rather homely-looking, so portraits usually struggle to enoble him to the point of fantasy. I've studied Paine all my life, reading many obscure works in that connection, so I'll make a point of purchasing Mr. Fitzgerald's book.
Such an interesting show. Thanks to everyone. 👍
You guys always have very interesting topics that are very nourishing for the mind which is way, way better than those fake televangelist that are duping innocent people about heaven and hell.
In the United Kingdom, the early years of the 1800s weren't a fertile ground for notions of revolution, republicanism, and atheism, at least as far as it relates to the divine right of kings... because at the time, the UK was having a hell of a time fighting Napoleon, all over Europe (especially in Portugal and Spain, the "Peninsular War"...) and at sea (especially in the Mediterranean Sea) and so internal threats weren't indulged.
Numerous revolutions (especially France and the USA) made the government extremely nervous, no matter how much the monarchy wasn't much use as anything other than a unifying symbol since George III managed to be in charge when the UK lost the USA, calling the role of the monarchy in government into question for the first time since Oliver bloody Cromwell, and look what happened there! So yeah the authorities wanted no truck with radical ideas at the end of the eighteenth century and it's likely that Paine was viewed rather dimly for his contribution towards the American Revolution, and then espousing religious views that struck to the heart of the authority of the monarchy, this wouldn't have made him popular in his own time and place.
Still, a most remarkable man and a most remarkable life. TP RIP ❤️😔
This was very good thank you so much for doing this.
I love it! Freedom... freedom from religion! Freedom... freedom from religion! 🤣🤣🤣
Peeked my interest to look into Freethought Society.
Thomas Paine, my idol!
Proud to have fished as a boy in Paine Lake adjacent to Paine Cottage in New Rochelle, NY. There was a bronze bust of Paine on a tall concrete pedestal adjacent to the cottage and it was a block away from a large bronze statue of Jacob Leisler.
You guys need to look up the Scottish folk singer Dick Gaughan. Not only a spectacularly skilled guitarist and an excellent and unique singer, but also he is an ardent atheist (and socialist). Check him out
I'm going to need a statue for my home.
Fundamentalists try to ignore him or try to paint him as an evangelical, which is both wrong.
It Is Called "Cherry Picking History." Cherry Picking History Is No Good At All. Tell The WHOLE STORY.. U.S. History Has Omitted Thomas Paine.. Also Omitted Is That America Was A "PENAL COLONY" Of England. Lots Of American History Has Been Omitted. ( Cherry Picking ) In Germany Martin Luther Was The 1st All For Women To Be Educated. Thomas Paine Took That From Luther And Many Other Ideas From Luther... Also A Forgotten American Hero Was Friedrich Wilhem von Steuben...The U.S. Military Still Uses Steuben' Blue Book To This Day..
According to Wikipedia, Ben Franklin came up with the name United States of America.