Apart from all reflections of morality and philosophy, it is a melancholy fact that more than one-fourth of the labour of mankind is annually consumed by this barbarous system.
Thomas Paine: “Apart from all reflections of morality and philosophy, it is a melancholy fact that more than one-fourth of the labour…”
Editor's note · Context
Paine highlights the economic burden of uncivilized governmental systems, stating that they consume a significant portion of human labor.
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I do not believe that any two men, on what are called doctrinal points, think alike who think at all.
Discussion and the general will arbitrates the question, and to this, private opinion yields with a good grace, and order is preserved uninterrupted.
But as religion is very improperly made a political machine, and the reality of it is thereby destroyed, I will conclude this work with stating in what light religion appears to me.
I have carefully avoided to enlarge upon the subject, because I am inclined to believe that what is called the present ministry, wish to see contentions about religion kept up, to prevent the nation turning its attention to subjects of…