Final answer:
Thomas Paine was an advocate for the American Revolution and believed in natural rights and government by the will of the people, while Edmund Burke was a conservative who valued tradition and preferred gradual change.
Step-by-step explanation:
Thomas Paine and Edmund Burke were influential figures during the 18th-century political discourse, but they had sharply different views on government and society. Here are three major differences between them:
- Paine was a proponent of radical change and supported the American Revolution. He believed in natural rights and the importance of government being a reflection of the will of the people. His pamphlet Common Sense advocated for independence from British rule.
- Burke, on the other hand, was a conservative thinker who valued tradition and gradual change. He supported the American colonies' grievances but argued against a complete severance of ties with Britain and was critical of the French Revolution's radical approach.
- While Paine argued for the republicanism and overthrow of a hereditary monarchy, Burke believed in the merits of a constitutional monarchy and the existing social hierarchy, seeing them as a stable foundation for society.
Their differing philosophies highlight the spectrum of Enlightenment thought and the varied approaches to governance and social structure of the time.