28 ideas
23154 | We divide mankind into friend and foe, and cooperate with one and compete with the other [Russell] |
23153 | Gradually loyalty to a creed increased, which could even outweigh nationality [Russell] |
23152 | Increasingly war expands communities, and unifies them through fear [Russell] |
23155 | In early societies the leaders needed cohesion, but the rest just had to obey [Russell] |
23156 | The economic and political advantages of great size seem to have no upper limit [Russell] |
23157 | Government has a negative purpose, to prevent trouble, and a positive aim of realising our desires [Russell] |
20086 | Nowadays sovereignty (once the basis of a state) has become relative [Reybrouck] |
20090 | Today it seems almost impossible to learn the will of the people [Reybrouck] |
20087 | There are no united monolothic 'peoples', and no 'national gut feelings' [Reybrouck] |
23151 | A monarch is known to everyone in the group, and can thus unite large groups [Russell] |
20089 | Technocrats may be efficient, but they lose legitimacy as soon as they do unpopular things [Reybrouck] |
20088 | Technocrats are expert managers, who replace politicians, and can be long-term and unpopular [Reybrouck] |
23167 | Power should be with smaller bodies, as long as it doesn't restrict central powers [Russell] |
23163 | In an anarchy universities, research, books, and even seaside holidays, would be impossible [Russell] |
23168 | A state is essential, to control greedy or predatory impulses [Russell] |
20085 | Democracy is the best compromise between legitimacy and efficiency [Reybrouck] |
20095 | A referendum result arises largely from ignorance [Reybrouck] |
20094 | You don't really govern people if you don't involve them [Reybrouck] |
20093 | In the 18th century democratic lots lost out to elections, that gave us a non-hereditary aristocracy [Reybrouck] |
20091 | Representative elections were developed in order to avoid democracy [Reybrouck] |
23166 | In democracy we are more aware of being governed than of our tiny share in government [Russell] |
23162 | Managers are just as remote from workers under nationalisation as under capitalism [Russell] |
23165 | Socialists say economic justice needs some state control of industries, and of foreign trade [Russell] |
23160 | Being a slave of society is hardly better than being a slave of a despot [Russell] |
23158 | Slavery began the divorce between the work and the purposes of the worker [Russell] |
23161 | Slaves can be just as equal as free people [Russell] |
23159 | Scarce goods may be denied entirely, to avoid their unequal distribution [Russell] |
23164 | Modern justice is seen as equality, apart from modest extra rewards for exceptional desert [Russell] |