WILL AWARD BRAINLIEST even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one; for when we suffer or are exposed to the same miseries by a government, which we might expect in a country without government, our calamity is heightened by reflecting that we furnish the means by which we suffer Which of the following Enlightenment ideas does Thomas Paine reflect in the phrase “furnish the means

The work written by the British Thomas Paine and published in January 1776, which contains the excerpt shown in the above question, was one of the most famous and successful political pamphlets in history. The work consists of a libel filled with powerful, persuasive and vehement arguments against the monarchical system and in favor of America's independence.

His arguments, not only in the above excerpt, but in the whole work are offered for the purpose of convincing the reader of the importance of assuming their share of responsibility and, by creating a certain political conscience, of accepting the opportunity to break free from the yoke of Great Britain, are of diverse natures and depart from different assumptions.

Paine wanted, with the above excerpt, to warn how dangerous a monarchical system is, because it concentrates the entire responsibility of the nation on one person. Paine believed that responsibility should be divided, so we can say that in the excerpt above, Paine reflects the separation of powers, because the means of government are the responsibility of each party.