Thomas Carlyle/Past and Present

Thomas Carlyle has been known as evolutionary scholar in his day. His thinking and way of life was ahead of his time. He challenged many everyday life choices and he often chastised other authors and critics for not noticing or handling situations on a different level. In his book Past and Present, there is a particular section that is still used today. It is the section on Democracy. In this section Carlyle speaks on what it means to have a democracy and what is to be expected. He also questions if there is really a democracy when most of our power is in the hands of one dominant force or power. Carlyle writes about the how England has changed over the years and how the views of the new, industrialized England has changed along with it. He speaks out the legitimacy of being born noble and in control. He tries to explain what actually makes a man do wicked acts. He simply implies that men are born with this particular instinct. He was well aware that men were put here to suffer and rely on their own sensibilities to figure out certain aspects of life and that there is no need for such governing to control their behaviors or life. He writes, Life was never a May-game for men. In all times the dumb millions born to toil was defaced with manifold sufferings, injustices, heavy burdens, avoidable and unavoidable...not play at all.."(p.28) It is incredible that many of these things that Carlyle wrote about are still issues that we are facing today with what is currently going on in the world. The issues of war, and the president having to get things back on track when there seems to be no real answer at hand. He was entirely a gift of a brilliant mind in an earlier time.