Philosophy Quote by Slavoj Žižek
![“[O]ne cannot separate violence from the very exist ence of the state (as the apparatus of class domination): from the standpoint of the'subordinated and oppressed, the very existence of a state is a fact of violence (in the same sense in which, for example, Robespierre said, in his justification…” quote by Slavoj Žižek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/4b0/slavoj-i-ek-1738_philosophy_o-ne-cannot-separate-violence-from-the-v_2415021.jpg)
““[O]ne cannot separate violence from the very exist ence of the state (as the apparatus of class domination): from the standpoint of the'subordinated and oppressed, the very existence of a state is a fact of violence (in the same sense in which, for example, Robespierre said, in his justification of the regicide, that one does not have to prove that the king committed any specific crimes, since the very existence of the king is a crime, an offence against the freedom of the people). In this strict sense, every violence of the oppressed against the ruling class and its state is ultimately ‘defensive’. If we do not concede this point, we volens nolens ‘normalize’ the state and accept that its violence is merely a matter of contin gent excesses (to be dealt with through democratic reforms).””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Parallax View, Slavoj Žižek, 2006
The state inherently embodies violence; for the oppressed, any act against it is defensive.
In simple terms: State power is violent; resistance is justified.
Key Takeaway
Recognize structural violence.
Themes
politics
violence
state theory
Mood
critical
analytical
Type
philosophical
political
When to use this quote
- activism
- legal reform
- social movements
- education on rights
Key Concepts
marxism
critical theory
Questions to Reflect On
- Is all resistance defensive?
- How to address systemic violence without retaliation?
A Different Perspective
Violence can perpetuate more violence.
![“Violence [in Palestina] is part of the resistance to occupation. The basic fact is not the violence; the basic fact is the occupation.” quote by Uri Avnery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2fa/uri-avnery-22947_facts_violence-in-palestina-is-part-of-the-res_2396818.jpg)
![“I never knew any man who had once tasted the sweetness of experimental knowledge, that ever afterward fasted after ye Vapour garlick and onions of phantasmatical seeming philosophy." [William Petty]” quote by Carl Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e5a/carl-zimmer-16331_knowledge_i-never-knew-any-man-who-had-once-tasted_1770.jpg)
