Agragarian Justice Summary and Analysis

Paine defines a civilized society as one that has extreme opposites—the affluent versus the wretched poor. Some cultures are considered to be uncivilized yet have a better way to live. Paine uses the North American Indians as an example. The existence of the extremes are not present in the Indian culture; in fact, life in the culture may seem to some as a "continual holiday", particularly to the poor in Europe.

It is possible to evolve from a natural state to a civilized state; however, the opposite is not true. Once a country becomes civilized, there must be a system to preserve the natural state and the benefits it bestows on its people. Although civilized states have advantages that natural states do not, they must remember to be concerned with the evils of civilization and develop remedies to cure them.

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