Rights Of Man
In this book Paine argues against monarchy and outlines the elements of a successful
republic, including public education, pensions and relief of the poor and unemployed, all
financed by income tax. Since its publication, Rights of Man has been celebrated,
criticized, maligned and suppressed but in this book the polemicist and commentator
Christopher Hitchens, Paine’s natural heir marvels at its forethought and revels in its
contentiousness. He demonstrates how the book forms the philosophical cornerstone
of the first democratic republic.