In former times the chief method of justifying the use of violence and thereby infringing the law of love was by claiming a divine right for the rulers: the Tsars, Sultans, Rajahs, Shahs, and other heads of states.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Tolstoy identifies the divine right of kings as the historical justification for political violence.
- In plain terms
- Rulers used religion to claim their power was chosen by God.
- What can you take from it?
- Ideology has often been used to justify force.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Who claims divine right today?
- How is power justified now?
Another view
It oversimplifies diverse reasons rulers held power.
More from Leo Tolstoy
...people continued ...to try to unite the incompatibles: the virtue of love, and what is opposed to love, namely, the restraining of evil by violence. And suc…
Permalink to quote #85 unfortunately not only were the rulers, who were considered supernatural beings, benefited by having the peoples in subjection, but ...larger circles of people…
Permalink to quote #87 It was taught that this highest morality was only applicable to private life ...but that in public life all forms of violence, such as imprisonment, executions…
Permalink to quote #84
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