Thomas Jefferson wrote to John Adams on the topic of society. This letter contains useful insights into the different view that the men have about how they saw the world. The main topic that they discussed was that of the arostoi, a word used to describe the aristocracy. Jefferson described his beliefs clearly, and showed that he felt that there are two different types of aristocracy, both of which have a place in society. Samuel Thomson was also a thinker on society and he wrote down his own views on the way that society works and the different roles of people within it. The purpose of this paper is to describe and compare the different ways in which Thomas Jefferson and Samuel Thompson think about society through investigating quotes from Thomson’s Narrative and the letter that Jefferson wrote to Adams on the topic.
Both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams felt that there is a natural type of person that can be considered an aristocrat. Jefferson wrote to Adams that he agreed “that there is a natural aristocracy among men” (Jefferson 2). He felt that the main quality of these men is that they have virtue and talents that set them apart. Jefferson also believed that there is “an artificial aristocracy founded on wealth and birth, without either virtue or talents” (Jefferson 2). This suggests that Jefferson is critical of how some people classify as aristoi in society and the reasons behind this. Jefferson is promoting the idea that aristocracy should be earned rather than inherited, and that a true aristoi should be talented and strong. Adams believed that men without these virtues should be given power to stop them misbehaving, but Jefferson felt that giving them this power “to prevent them from doing mischief, is arming them for it” (Jefferson 2).
Samuel Thomson had a different viewpoint. He describes the fact that his “parents were poor” (Thomson 14) and how this has shaped his view of society. Thomson believed that good intentions were important, particularly in practicing medicine, and that this is the most important part of being a good person. Thomson also talked a lot about how he felt that equality is important and that the world he lived in was more equal than before This is due to “priests, lawyers, and physicians” (Thomson 193) who brought equality to the people. The priests made the Bible accessible to read for everyone, the lawyers made it clear that being born to rule is not that important, and the physicians provided healthcare that kept the “common people” healthier than ever before (Thomson 194). These views suggest that Jefferson and Thomson had very different views on what makes a person aristocratic.
It is interesting to consider why these men had different views. Jefferson was obviously a well-known and respected person in his community who had many talents. This might be the reason why he believed that the aristocracy should be based on these factors, rather than on birth. Thomson was a physician who came from poor parents and therefore had a career and influence due to his participation in the medical career. This suggests that Thomson also values hard work as part of the definition of aristocracy, but places a higher value on the equality that he thought was necessary for a good society. It is interesting to consider the different ways we can understand society. It helps to highlight that there are many different ways of understanding the relationships between people. It is also useful to understand the views of someone in the medical profession as it shows the importance of healthcare in society.
Works Cited
Jefferson, Thomas. “Equality: Thomas Jefferson to John Adams.” N.p., 28 Oct. 1813. Web. 25 May 2016.
Thomson, Samuel. A Narrative of the Life and Medical Discoveries of Samuel Thomson. N.p., 1832. Print.
