Thomas paine wrote that "virtue and ability are not hereditary" what does this mean in plain language? how was this a break from previous british thought?
can someone please help me i really do not understand! if u have any ideas or answers to these questions i would GREATLY appreciate it! also if u have any websites too! pleaseee!
2007-11-20 11:40:49 · 5 answers · asked by lilwoods382 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
You understand what virtue and ability are? If not you should have a dictionary handy or visit www.m-w.com (online dictionary. by them not being hereditary he's saying that if the father is a good ruler, it does not mean that his sons will be virtuous or have the ability to rule just because the father was.
Think about about England's view of their rulers at the time - hint it's opposite of what Paine said.
2007-11-20 11:50:40 · answer #1 · answered by Pirate AM™ 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It means that whatever virtue or ability that a person has, does not mean that it is based on their lineage, those virtues and abilities are not inherited from their parents nor ancestors.
Virtue and ability are something that acquired by oneself, not inherited from parents nor ancestors (however in my personal opinion virtue and ability can be influenced by people who are close to the person).
Maybe the previous British thought is that when a person is skilled or virtuous, he / she must have inherited from parents or earlier generations. Of course this is a problem when people start viewing that only those who come from upper and middle class families are virtuous.
It basically remove any chances from people who came from lower class (like me) to show the world that hard work can help in acquiring abilities and virtue (which is somehow still hard to be accepted in the society)
2007-11-20 11:52:01 · answer #2 · answered by sub 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it means that whatever virtues or skills a person may have had, it does not mean their offspring will possess the same traits.. (i.e. - u won't be a good cook just because ur mom is)
i think previous british thought was that if a man as skilled as a composer, people would expect his boys to inherit that talent
2007-11-20 11:51:47 · answer #3 · answered by Luken 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think it means you cant just inherit your virtues and abilities from anybody, but you have to learn your virtues (with a little help maybe) and to have a good ability, you need to practice that ability. does that help?
2007-11-20 11:46:36 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
morality and quality arent passed down from parent to child
2007-11-20 11:47:26 · answer #5 · answered by Baby Jesus 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋