...obsolete religious justification of violence which consisted in the recognition of the supernatural personality of the God-ordained ruler ('there is no power but of God') has been superseded by the 'scientific' justification which puts forward, first, the assertion that because the coercion of man by man has existed in all ages, it follows that such coercion must continue to exist. ...what 'science' calls 'the historic law'. A further 'scientific' justification lies in the statement that as among plants and wild beasts there is a constant struggle for existence which always results in the survival of the fittest, a similar struggle should be carried on among human -beings... The third... justification is, ...that in public life the suppression of some for the protection of the majority cannot be avoided - so that coercion is unavoidable... this justification by pseudo-science consists in the fact that, ...'Science' says that these decisions represent the will of the people...
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Tolstoy critiques modern scientific and social Darwinist arguments used to justify state coercion and violence.
- In plain terms
- Modern society uses science to say force is natural and necessary.
- What can you take from it?
- Appeals to nature or science often mask moral choices.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Is coercion truly natural?
- Who uses science to justify force?
Another view
It dismisses legitimate scientific insights into human behavior.
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