Weber on the Monopoly of Violence

“[A state is] any human community that (successfully) claims the monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force within a given territory”

 

Max Weber, Politics as a Vocation

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Beware he who would deny you access to information, for in his heart he dreams himself your master.

-‘Alpha Centauri’

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Noam Chomsky – On Power and Ideology

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‘One of the most effective devices is to encourage debate, but within a system of unspoken presuppositions that incorporate the basic principles of the doctrinal systems. These principles are therefore removed from inspection; they become the framework for thinkable thought, not objects of rationale consideration.’

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Socrates on Wisdom

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“..because I know that I know nothing.”

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(When asked why the Oracle at Delphi declared him the wisest in the world)

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“Tum Mere Pas Hote Ho Goya” by Momin Khan Momin

Still, in my quiet solitude,
You are there beside me.

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tum mere paas hote ho goya
jab koi doosra nahin hota

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Momin Khan Momin (This is a loose translation of his most famous verse)

Verses by Bulle Shah

while seeking my love,
I happened upon god;
yet still was I sorrowful,
for my beloved it was not.

-Bulle Shah

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….What belongs to you today
Belonged to someone else yesterday
And will be someone else’s Tomorrow…

-Bhagvad Gita

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Amir Khusrau

O Khusrau, strangely flows the river of love:
that whoever bathes in it drowns,
and whoever drowns, is saved.

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Khusrau darya prem ka, ulti jiski dhaar
jo utra so doob gaya, jo dooba so paar

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-Amir Khusrau (1253-1325)

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We are all strong enough to bear the misfortune of others.

-Rochefoucauld

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Whosoever brought me here will also take me home.

–Jalaludin Rumi

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