What is a state? (was Re: Chaos Theory)

[Jim Choate]

On Sat, 9 Dec 2000, James A. Donald wrote:

> A state is a monopoly of legitimate force.

That's redundent.

> What makes a state a state is  that the policeman can whack me, and I cannot
> whack the policeman.

No, it's that the other people in the society won't accept your whacking
the nice oinkdroid [1]. Why? Because they figure if you'll whack the
oinkdroid what will stop you from whacking them? Nothing.

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[1] There are differences of opinion on the degree of this boundary. In
    some states it is as James describes, you don't strike the officer
    period. On others, such as the US, it is possible to strike the
    officer justifiable if they are themselves acting illegally and
    putting your life in danger. Being a police officer is not absolute
    defence against self-defence.