Gene Wolfe's Politics

Adam Thornton · 31 Mar 2009, 21:50 · from 2009-March.txt.gz

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From: adam at io.com (Adam Thornton)
Date: Tue, 31 Mar 2009 16:50:16 -0500
Subject: (urth) Gene Wolfe's Politics
In-Reply-To: <15866.67.142.130.28.1238535918.squirrel at brunians.org>
References: <mailman.1.1238533680.13689.urth-urth.net at lists.urth.net>
	<49D28BE0.80502 at verizon.net>
	<14905.67.142.130.28.1238535443.squirrel at brunians.org>
	<3A39D780-A778-4C9C-A278-1280874658E3 at io.com>
	<15866.67.142.130.28.1238535918.squirrel at brunians.org>
Message-ID: <044CA101-0B24-45BB-9FAE-75C1FC3AF288 at io.com>

On Mar 31, 2009, at 4:45 PM, brunians at brunians.org wrote:

>> On Mar 31, 2009, at 4:37 PM, brunians at brunians.org wrote:
>
>>> What do you think the main purpose of government is, David, if not  
>>> to
>>> maintain the military?
>
>> To protect the weak from the strong.
>
> But the government is normally the strongest entity around. How does  
> that
> work?

There's a continuum here.  It is the government's job to make sure  
that something unpleasant happens to Bob if he kills me simply because  
he has the ability to (being stronger) and without otherwise-just  
cause.  This functions as a deterrent, which therefore enables the  
mostly-functioning of a mostly-civil society.

See Mogadishu for a counterexample.

Adam

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