"revolution has struck the guillotine becomes very busy who's going to live and who's going to die" - Dr. Stephen Hicks [00:00:00]
"the guillotine becomes very busy in 1793 thousands and thousands of people are executed in many cases summarily without due process unjustly in various ways" - Dr. Stephen Hicks [00:04:24]
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"in many cases what we have is philosophers reflecting on political events but in many cases what we find is that what is going on politically is driven by philosophical concerns" - Dr. Stephen Hicks [00:12:07]
"Without them... Liberty is not a benefit while it lasts and is not likely to continue long" - Edmund Burke (quoted by Dr. Stephen Hicks) [00:34:44]
"from Magna Carta to the Declaration of Right it has been the uniform policy of our Constitution to claim and assert our liberties as an entailed inheritance derived to us from our forefathers and to be transmitted to our posterity" - Edmund Burke (quoted by Dr. Stephen Hicks) [00:36:43]
"government is not made in virtue of natural rights... government is a contrivance of human wisdom to provide for human wants" - Edmund Burke (quoted by Dr. Stephen Hicks) [00:53:11]
"the pretended rights of these theorists are all extremes and in proportion as they are metaphysically true they are morally and politically false" - Edmund Burke (quoted by Dr. Stephen Hicks) [00:59:33]
"our commonwealth becomes a partnership not only between those who are living but between those who are living and those who are dead and those who are to be born" - Edmund Burke (quoted by Dr. Stephen Hicks) [01:07:14]
Speakers & Credentials
Dr. Stephen Hicks – Professor of Philosophy at Rockford University, Executive Director of the Center for Ethics and Entrepreneurship, and author specializing in modern political philosophy, modernism, and postmodernism. He serves as the primary lecturer for this Peterson Academy course on the Philosophy of Politics.
1. Executive Summary
Politics is fundamentally driven by underlying philosophical frameworks regarding human nature, epistemological knowledge, and core moral values 00:00:11.
The modern era represents a unique period of rapid ideological transformation across science, art, religion, economics, and politics 00:01:48.
While the Glorious Revolution in Britain and the American Revolution successfully established stable modern political systems, the French Revolution devolved into cataclysm, tyranny, and civil bloodshed 00:03:15.
The descent of the French Revolution into the Reign of Terror (1793) illustrates the inherent dangers of attempting a radical, total break with historical institutions through top-down theoretical design 00:03:58.
Edmund Burke’s 1790 work, Reflections on the Revolution in France, served as a prescient warning against political movements driven by abstract metaphysical theories rather than historical experience 00:30:40.
Burke established the foundation for modern philosophical conservatism by positing that human rights are an inherited social legacy rather than abstract natural constructs 00:36:43.
Stable governance requires the restraint of human passions through external authority, long-standing tradition, and necessary social institutions like religion 00:45:48.
Total societal transformation carried out in a single generation risks creating a power vacuum that ultimately gives rise to military despotism, as evidenced by the ascension of Napoleon Bonaparte 00:08:47.
2. Chronological Table of Contents
00:00:00 - Introduction: The Interplay Between Politics and Philosophy
00:01:48 - The Revolutionary Nature of the Modern Era
00:03:15 - Comparing British, American, and French Revolutions
00:03:58 - The Cataclysm of 1793: Guillotines and Total Civil War
00:05:19 - The Execution of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette
00:08:47 - The Power Vacuum and the Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte
00:10:20 - Central Thesis: Philosophical Foundations of Political Action
00:13:44 - Introduction to Edmund Burke and Modern Conservatism
00:17:38 - The Three Estates of Pre-Revolutionary France
00:20:46 - The Estates-General of 1789 and the Monarchy's Retreat
00:22:58 - Shift to Enlightenment Ideals: Liberty, Equality, Fraternity
00:25:30 - Declaration of the Rights of Man and Olympe de Gouges' Feminist Manifesto
00:28:50 - The Rise of the Jacobins and the Reign of Terror
00:30:40 - Analysis of Burke’s Reflections on the Revolution in France (1790)
00:33:04 - Critique of Metaphysical Abstractions in Governance
00:36:43 - Liberties as an Entailed Inheritance vs. Abstract Rights
00:42:48 - Society as a Castle: Renovation vs. Total Destruction
00:45:48 - Religion and Severe Morality as Foundations of Order
00:50:41 - Critique of the National Assembly: Unqualified Theorists and Lawyers
00:53:11 - Government as a Contrivance for Human Wants and Passions
00:56:48 - The Science of Politics: Empirical Experience vs. A Priori Theory
01:00:37 - The Necessity of "Pleasing Illusions" for Social Cohesion
01:07:14 - Society as a Social Contract Across Generations (The Living, Dead, and Unborn)
01:08:44 - Burke’s Prediction of Oligarchy and Despotism
01:09:42 - Analytical Conclusion: Evaluating the Pace and Limits of Political Reform
3. Detailed Thematic Summary
I. The Modern Revolutionary Context and Historical Divergence
The modern era marks a complete break from traditional nomadic tribalism and rigid imperial structures that dominated human history for millennia 00:02:41. Revolutions occurred across all sectors of society: modern science transformed empirical understanding, the Protestant Reformation reshaped religious authority, the Renaissance revolutionized art, and global exploration opened worldwide trade routes 00:02:00. Within politics, this era generated distinct models of systemic change:
The British Model: Evolved over four centuries from the Magna Carta in 1215 to the Declaration of Right in 1689, gradually transitioning power from an absolute feudal monarch to a constitutional parliamentary democracy 00:03:23.
The American Model: Fought a revolutionary war grounded in Enlightenment ideals, establishing a brand-new republic built upon explicit constitutional principles of liberty 00:03:33.
The French Model: Attempted a rapid, total overhaul of society in the late 18th century, which quickly disintegrated into unprecedented chaos, economic ruin, and state-sanctioned execution 00:03:58.
II. The Structural Collapse of Pre-Revolutionary France (1789–1793)
Pre-revolutionary French society was structured around an absolute monarch and three feudal classes known as Estates 00:17:52:
The First Estate: The Catholic Clergy, numbering approximately 100,000 individuals, holding immense institutional wealth and land 00:18:08.
The Second Estate: The Nobility/Aristocracy, comprising roughly 500,000 individuals holding significant feudal rights and power 00:18:16.
The Third Estate: The Commoners, representing approximately 24.5 million to 25 million people across various socioeconomic levels, from illiterate peasants to wealthy merchants and educated professionals 00:18:33.
+-------------------------------------------------------------+
| THE FRENCH MONARCHY |
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|
v
+-------------------------------------------------------------+
| FIRST ESTATE: Catholic Clergy (~100,000 members) |
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v
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| SECOND ESTATE: Nobility/Aristocracy (~500,000 members) |
+-------------------------------------------------------------+
|
v
+-------------------------------------------------------------+
| THIRD ESTATE: Commoners (~24,500,000 - 25,000,000 members) |
+-------------------------------------------------------------+
Faced with severe financial crises in the 1780s, King Louis XVI was forced to convene the Estates-General in 1789—a representative assembly that had not met in nearly two centuries due to the concentration of royal power 00:21:53. The assembly shifted rapidly from a class-based negotiation over political privileges into an ideological convention driven by Enlightenment liberals 00:22:58.
In 1789, the National Assembly issued the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, drafted in part by the Marquis de Lafayette 00:25:30. This document established universal claims to liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression 00:28:25. Parallel movements, such as Olympe de Gouges' 1791 Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen, extended these rights to women 00:27:26.
However, by 1793, moderation collapsed. Control passed to radical Jacobins—led by Maximilien Robespierre, Louis Antoine de Saint-Just, Georges Danton, and Jean-Paul Marat—initiating the Reign of Terror 00:28:50. The summary executions of King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette in 1793 signaled a complete destruction of traditional governance, leading to economic collapse, widespread starvation, domestic civil war, and foreign wars 00:05:19. The resulting power vacuum enabled Napoleon Bonaparte to seize power, crowned himself Emperor in 1804, and re-centralize absolute authority after killing tens of thousands in military campaigns 00:08:47.
III. Edmund Burke and the Philosophical Foundations of Modern Conservatism
In 1790, British statesman Edmund Burke published Reflections on the Revolution in France, accurately predicting that the revolution would collapse into anarchy and military dictatorship 00:30:40. Burke’s commentary established the foundation of modern conservative philosophy:
Anti-Abstract Rationalism: Burke rejected the premise that political systems can be constructed out of theoretical, "metaphysical abstractions" disconnected from historical reality 00:33:04.
Prioritization of Social Stability: Abstract claims to "liberty" or "equality" mean nothing without functional civic infrastructure, including public order, disciplined military defense, reliable revenue collection, morality, and established property rights 00:34:00.
Entailed Inheritance: Rights do not originate from abstract nature or direct divine decree; they are a legacy passed down by previous generations ("forefathers") 00:36:43. Society must view its legal rights as an entailed inheritance to be preserved and cautiously refined 00:38:05.
The Architectural Metaphor: A state should be treated like a historical castle 00:42:48. When damaged, it must be renovated cautiously upon its original foundations 00:43:57. Attempting to raze the building completely to construct a theoretical structure guarantees collapse 00:43:31.
IV. Epistemology, Human Nature, and the Critique of Enlightenment "Reason"
Burke questioned the optimistic Enlightenment assumption that human beings are fundamentally rational and capable of complete self-governance 00:54:54:
Restraint of Passions: Government is an invention of human wisdom created to fulfill human needs, the most critical of which is a restraint upon unregulated passions 00:53:11. Because the majority of people lack self-regulation, order requires an external governing authority operating above individual impulses 00:55:55.
Limits of Individual Knowledge: Political science is an empirical and historical endeavor, not an a priori exercise 00:56:48. No single individual—regardless of intelligence—can gain enough practical experience in one lifetime to construct a functioning political order from scratch 00:58:06. True political wisdom resides in cumulative generational experience passed down as tradition 00:59:08.
The Danger of Pure Theory: Burke criticized the National Assembly for being dominated by provincial lawyers, attorneys, and abstract theorists who lacked real-world administrative experience 00:50:41.
The Functional Role of "Pleasing Illusions": Abstract rationalism strips away the cultural myths, religious sacredness, and social reverence that make authority gentle and obedience voluntary 01:00:37. Reducing a monarch to a mere human or religion to mere hypothesis destroys the unifying social instincts necessary to keep state power from relying on brutal coercion 01:04:03.
V. Analytical Synthesis: Evolution vs. Revolution
The lecture ends with key analytical questions regarding societal transformation 01:10:45:
The Velocity of Change Paradox: Did France fail because it tried to change too quickly in 1789, or because it remained completely static throughout the 17th and 18th centuries under autocratic kings, creating an explosive pressure cooker of sudden reform 01:12:05?
The "Close Follower" Dynamic: Just as late-entering businesses can adopt proven operational innovations much faster than initial pioneers, can developing nations bypass centuries of trial-and-error to adopt modern democratic norms rapidly 01:14:23?
The Problem of Injustices: If tradition is treated as inviolable, society risks preserving oppressive systems like feudal serfdom, absolute monarchies, the subjugation of women, or chattel slavery 01:15:45. Incremental reform over generations may prolong deep moral violations, whereas radical action ("ripping off the band-aid") addresses systemic oppression immediately 01:16:38.
The Reference Vault
4. Data & Figures
Data Point
Value
Context
Timestamp
First Estate Population
~100,000
Total count of Catholic clergy members in pre-revolutionary France
Rights as Entailed Inheritance [00:36:43]
Burke challenges both the religious view (rights granted directly by God) and the Enlightenment liberal view (rights derived from abstract nature). Instead, he asserts that functional political rights are social legacies developed over centuries through trial and error. Political rights act as an inherited estate passed down from ancestral "forefathers" to current citizens, who hold a duty to preserve and pass them to future generations. Attempting to discard this legacy to build rights around theoretical axioms destroys the social foundation that makes rights enforceable.
The Castle Metaphor for State Reform [00:42:48]
This framework compares a nation's political infrastructure to an old castle. Over centuries, a castle develops deep foundations and structural walls designed to withstand external shocks. When parts of the castle fall into disrepair, responsible governance demands renovation on top of the established foundations. Destroying the entire structure to build a theoretical castle guarantees structural failure and leaves citizens exposed to political instability.
Pleasing Illusions and Civic Cohesion [01:00:37]
Burke argues that human societies cannot function on hyper-rationalism alone. Social order relies on inherited cultural narratives, sacred traditions, and institutional deference ("pleasing illusions") that humanize political power and encourage voluntary obedience. Stripping these traditions away via hyper-rationalism reduces the state to brute force. When a king is viewed as merely a man and religion as mere fable, the state loses its moral authority and must resort to tyranny to maintain order.
The Intergenerational Partnership (Social Contract) [01:07:14]
Unlike Jean-Jacques Rousseau's social contract—which treats society as an agreement among living individuals—Burke redefines the state as a continuous partnership among three groups: the living, the dead, and the unborn. Under this model, the living generation does not possess absolute sovereignty to rewrite society at will. The ancestral dead hold a virtual vote through inherited traditions, while the unborn hold a claim on preserved institutional stability.
The "Close Follower" Market Analogy [01:14:23]
Introduced by Dr. Hicks as a counter-framework to Burkean gradualism, this model draws from corporate innovation strategy. While pioneering market leaders must spend significant time and resources developing new technologies, late-moving competitors can study those lessons and deploy the same solutions in a fraction of the time. Applied to political philosophy, it asks whether developing nations can skip centuries of gradual reform by rapidly adopting tested legal systems from earlier constitutional states.
6. Anecdotes
The busy guillotine of 1793 [00:04:24]
Dr. Hicks highlights the guillotine to illustrate how modern technological efficiency was weaponized during the Reign of Terror. Designed as a humane instrument of execution, it became the primary tool for summarily executing thousands of citizens without due process. Hicks uses this image to show how revolutionary movements driven by abstract ideals can devolve into mass violence.
Execution of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette [00:05:19]
The public beheading of the French King and Queen in 1793 was not simply an effort to remove ineffective leaders or establish a constitutional monarchy. Hicks explains that it was a symbolic effort to execute an entire political tradition and sever France's connection to its historic institutions, creating a power vacuum that ultimately led to dictatorship.
Burke's Whistleblowing on Warren Hastings [00:16:58]
Hicks references Edmund Burke’s relentless political prosecution and impeachment of Warren Hastings, the Governor-General of Bengal. Burke pursued Hastings for corruption and abuse of power in India. Hicks shares this story to demonstrate that Burke’s political conservatism was not a defense of established authority, but a principled stance grounded in justice, accountability, and legal ethics.
Lafayette’s Bridge Between Revolutions [00:25:46]
The Marquis de Lafayette, a French aristocrat, fought alongside George Washington in the American Revolutionary War. Inspired by the American model, he returned to France and authored the initial draft of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen in 1789. Hicks notes this to highlight how Enlightenment principles traveled between nations, while cautioning that identical principles yielded dramatically different results in France compared to America.
The Composition of the National Assembly [00:50:41]
Burke reviewed the roster of delegates elected to the French National Assembly in 1789 and discovered a complete absence of experienced statesmen. Instead, the assembly was filled with small-town attorneys, provincial lawyers, and ideological theorists. Burke realized that placing an entire nation's constitution in the hands of inexperienced theorists would lead directly to instability and mob rule.
7. References & Recommendations
Books & Texts
Reflections on the Revolution in France by Edmund Burke [00:30:40] – Burke’s 1790 masterwork dissecting the French Revolution and outlining the core tenets of modern philosophical conservatism.
Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (1789) [00:25:30] – The foundational French revolutionary document asserting individual and collective rights.
Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen (1791) by Olympe de Gouges [00:27:26] – An early feminist manifesto arguing that liberty and equal rights must extend to women.
Magna Carta (1215) [00:36:43] – The charter of rights agreed to by King John of England, establishing early historical limits on monarchical power.
Declaration of Right (1689) [00:36:43] – The English constitutional document that capped the Glorious Revolution and limited royal authority.
Historical Figures & Philosophers
Edmund Burke [00:13:44] – 18th-century Anglo-Irish statesman and philosopher widely regarded as the father of modern conservatism.
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel [00:00:25] – German philosopher cited regarding the state as an instrument for divine historical purpose.
King Louis XVI & Queen Marie Antoinette [00:05:19] – Monarchs of France executed by guillotine during the radical phase of the revolution in 1793.
Napoleon Bonaparte [00:08:47] – Military general who seized control of post-revolutionary France, declaring himself Emperor in 1804.
John Locke [00:24:14] – English Enlightenment philosopher whose theories on natural rights and social contract influenced modern political liberalism.
Voltaire [00:24:21] – French Enlightenment writer and philosopher known for advocating civil liberties, freedom of religion, and free trade.
Marquis de Lafayette [00:25:46] – French military officer who served in the American Revolutionary War and authored early drafts of the French Declaration of Rights.
Maximilien Robespierre [00:29:40] – Radical Jacobin leader who headed the Committee of Public Safety during the Reign of Terror.
Louis Antoine de Saint-Just, Georges Danton, & Jean-Paul Marat [00:29:48] – Key figures of the radical Jacobin faction during the French Revolution.
Warren Hastings [00:17:22] – First Governor-General of Bengal, impeached by Edmund Burke over charges of corruption and misrule.
Geopolitical Entities & Historical Events
The Estates-General (1789) [00:21:02] – The representative assembly of pre-revolutionary France's three Estates.
The Reign of Terror (1793–1794) [00:29:54] – The period of extreme violence and summary executions carried out by the Jacobin government.
The Glorious Revolution (1688) [00:03:23] – The deposition of King James II of England, establishing parliamentary supremacy and constitutional monarchy.
The American Revolution (1775–1783) [00:03:33] – The war that established the United States as an independent republic grounded in Enlightenment principles.
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