By R.W. Morrell
Thomas Paine: In Search Of The Common Good. Edited by Joyce Chumbley & Leo Zonneveld. 144pp. Illustrated Paperback. Nottingham, Spokesman Books, 2009. ISBN 978-0-85124-762-5. £12.00.
On International Human Rights Day, December 10, 1987, an international group of Paine enthusiasts met at the United Nations in New York under the auspices of the United Nations, in particular its Peace Studies Unit for a colloquium celebrating the 250th anniversary of the birth of Thomas Paine. The event was organised by the United Teilhard Trust and the University of Peace (Costa Rica) with support from the Thomas Paine National Historical Association of New Rochelle and the Thomas Paine Society, whose president Michael Foot, gave the first address on ‘Thomas Paine and the Democratic Revolution’. Much of the inspiration for the event had been generated by the late Florence Stapleton, a member of the TPS, and Nat Mills, also deceased, who had created an informal Thomas Paine readers group. The initiative for this publication has been due to the work of Irwin Spiegelman, the president of the Friends of Thomas Paine in the United States. Leo Zonneveld, of the United Teiihard Trust (the reference is to Teithard de Chardin the Jesuit philosopher and palaeontologist), provides an introduction which briefly discussed the various contributions.
As well as Michael Foot, there were eleven other speakers, Professor Ian Dyck on, ‘Thomas Paine: World Citizen in the Age of Nationalism’. David Branff on, ‘The Forgotten Founding Father: The Impact of Thomas Paine’. Professor Eric Foner on, Thomas Paine and American Radicalism during the American Revolution’. Charles Francisco on, ‘Thomas Paine: A Most Un-Common Man’. Professor Bernard Vincent on, ‘From Social to International Peace: The Realistic Utopias of Thomas Paine’. Clive Phillpot on, ‘In the Footsteps of Thomas Paine’. The Hon. Paul O’Dwyer on, ‘Thomas Paine Never Died’. Professor Sean Wilentz on, ‘Paine’s Legacy. David Henley on, Thomas Paine: An Emerging Portrait’. Robert Muller on, Remarks on the Present State of the World, Inspired by the Philosophy of Thomas Paine’. Professor Zofia Ubiszowska on, The Reality of the Constitutional Vision of Thomas Paine’. This last was read as the Professor was not able to leave Poland.
I will make no attempt to comment on any of the contributions, to fully appreciate their calls for reading them, it is sufficient to say they contain much that is of great value and it is good that they have been now been put into print thanks to Dr. Chumbley, a TPS member, who transcribed them.
In addition to the lectures the book is well illustrated with colour photographs taken by Clive Phillpot and others showing the participants, and reprints some of the correspondence that went on in the planning stages. There is also an index. This is a splendid contribution to the Paine bicentenary and the Friends of Thomas Paine in the United States who sponsored it deserve the gratitude of all those interested in Paine and his ideas.