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Consistent in Creation: Thomas Jefferson, Natural Aristocracy, and the Problem of Knowledge
- University of Virginia Press
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Consistent in Creation Thomas Je√erson, Natural Aristocracy, and the Problem of Knowledge richard a. samuelson In October 1813, Thomas Jefferson wrote John Adams a long letter on the subject of natural aristocracy. Je√erson reasoned that aristocrats were part of the order of nature, for ‘‘it would have been inconsistent in creation to have formed man for the social state, and not to have provided virtue and wisdom enough to manage the concerns of society.’’ That belief had important implications for government. ‘‘May we not even say,’’ Je√erson wrote Adams, ‘‘that the form of government is best which provides the most e√ectually for a pure selection of these natural aristoi into the o≈ces of government?’’ How might that be done? Elections: ‘‘I think the best remedy is exactly that provided by all our constitutions, to leave to the citizens the free election and separation of the aristoi from the pseudo-aristoi, of the wheat from the cha√.’’∞ Je√erson believed, in short, that there were natural aristocrats , that their job was to manage the concerns of society, and that the best way to get them into o≈ce was via free, fair, and open elections. To understand Je√erson’s thoughts on natural aristocracy, we should consider his thoughts about nature and aristocracy separately before exploring the topic as a whole. Regarding nature, we need to explore Je√erson’s conception of nature as well as how he thought the human mind recognized it. With regard to aristocracy, we face a slightly di√erent set of questions. First, we will consider how Je√erson defined an aristocrat. Beyond that, we will ask how Je√erson reconciled his belief in government by natural aristo- 76 Richard A. Samuelson crats with his belief in the rights of men. The answer to that question returns us to Je√erson’s theory of knowledge. There was a direct link between his political goals and how he reasoned about nature. The key to understanding Je√erson’s thoughts on these subjects, we will see, is his belief that men could achieve a great deal of certainty about nature. Certainty was essential to Je√erson’s hopes for the future. Je√erson only used the term ‘‘natural aristocracy’’ twice: once in the letter to John Adams quoted above, and once in a letter to Joseph C. Cabell in which he enclosed a copy of the letter to Adams. He also made one ironic reference to Federalist ‘‘natural aristocrats’’ in a letter that he wrote to James Madison in 1793. It is possible that Je√erson simply did not consider the subject terribly important. But there is no necessary relationship between the number of times people discuss a particular idea and its importance, particularly when they have reasons for holding their tongues. Je√erson, ever the prudent politician, may have feared that speaking favorably of aristocracy, even natural aristocracy, was not likely to help his political cause. That reading grows more likely in light of other bits of evidence. The natural aristocracy letter is probably the longest letter Je√erson wrote to Adams. Moreover, the letter concludes with a strong declaration: ‘‘I have thus stated my opinion on a point on which we di√er, not with a view to controversy, for we are both too old to change opinions which are the result of a long life of inquiry and reflection; but on the suggestion of a former letter of yours, that we ought not to die before we have explained ourselves to each other.’’≤ At the very least, assuming he was not lying to Adams, Je√erson thought he could not explain his political philosophy without addressing the question of natural aristocracy . Beyond that, there is the nature of Je√erson’s comments, which seem to indicate that he had given the subject a great deal of thought, and that he considered it a matter of particular importance. Finally, it is significant that he sent a copy of the letter to Cabell in order to help him think about how to organize the University of Virginia. It is also true that Je√erson discussed the idea of natural aristocracy sometimes without actually using the term, often in his writings on education. Je√erson liked certainty. He wrote that, of all the subjects he studied in school, mathematics was ‘‘my favorite one. We have no theories there, no uncertainties on the mind; all is demonstration and satisfaction.’’ Certainty was...