I've come to read and hear many unlikely things about the…
““I've come to read and hear many unlikely things about the times when people lived in freedom, i.e., the unorganized savage state. But the most unlikely thing, it seems to me, is this: how could the olden day governmental power - primitive though it was - have allowed people to live without anything like our Table, without the scheduled walks, without the precise regulation of mealtimes, getting up and going to bed whenever it occurred to them? Various historians even say that, apparently, in those times, light burned in the streets all night long, and all night long, people rode and walked the streets. This I just cannot comprehend in any way. Their faculties of reason may not have been developed, but they must have understood more broadly that living like that amounted to mass murder - literally - only it was committed slowly, day after day. The State (humaneness) forbade killing to death any one person but didn't forbid the half-killing of millions. To kill a man, that is, to decrease the sum of a human life span by fifty years - this was criminal. But decreasing the sum of many humans' lives by fifty million years - this was not criminal. Isn't that funny?””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
The state’s indirect violence—allowing endless suffering—can be more criminal than overt killing.
In simple terms: Indirect harm can be worse than direct killing.
Key Takeaway
Recognize systemic oppression.
Themes
politics
ethics
history
Mood
critical
thoughtful
Type
philosophical
political
When to use this quote
- policy analysis
- human rights advocacy
- education
- media criticism
Key Concepts
totalitarianism
human rights
state violence
Questions to Reflect On
- How do we measure systemic harm?
- What responsibilities do citizens have?
A Different Perspective
Complex historical context may oversimplify nuanced societies.