Author
Edmund Burke
4 reading cards from 1 book · 1790.
4 cards
Reflecții asupra Revoluției din Franța · 1790
Society is a contract between past, present, and future generations.
Burke rejects the idea that society can be rewritten from scratch by each generation. He sees it as a contract that binds us to our ancestors, who left us laws and customs, and to our descendants, to whom we owe responsibility. For example, protecting the environment or cultural heritage are acts of respect for this intergenerational partnership.
“Society is indeed a contract... a partnership not only between those who are living, but between those who are living, those who are dead, and those who are to be born.”
Reflecții asupra Revoluției din Franța · 1790
The security of property is the foundation upon which a society's progress and prosperity are built.
Burke considers property rights not a mere legal arrangement, but a fundamental principle of social order. Without the security that what you have will not be taken arbitrarily, people do not invest, work, or innovate. For example, in countries with political instability or judicial corruption, property is insecure and the economy stagnates.
“In a civilized country, property is sacred.”
Reflecții asupra Revoluției din Franța · 1790
Equality before the law means legal protection is universal, regardless of status.
Burke asserts a principle of equality before the law: no one is above the law, and the poorest man has the same right to protection as the richest. This is the foundation of the rule of law. For example, a homeless man has the right not to be assaulted or dispossessed of his few belongings, just like a tycoon.
“The poorest man in England has a right to the protection of the law.”
Reflecții asupra Revoluției din Franța · 1790
Constitutions are built through centuries of experience, not through rational design.
Burke criticizes the Enlightenment idea that a constitution can be rationally built from scratch, like a machine. He believes that durable institutions are formed through centuries of trials, adaptations, and accumulated wisdom. For example, the British Constitution is not a single written document, but a collection of laws, customs, and precedents that have evolved over centuries.
“A constitution is the work of time, not of intelligence.”