Insurrectionist covers

[Justin]

On 2004-12-10T15:50:22-0500, Steve Thompson wrote:
>
>  --- "R.W. (Bob) Erickson" <roberte at ripnet.com> wrote:
> > Steve Thompson wrote:
> >
> > > --- "R.W. (Bob) Erickson" <roberte at ripnet.com> wrote:
> > > [Colouring outside the lines]
> > >
> > Yes, you have a point there.I guess a better cover would be as local
> > coordinator of Neighborhood Watch
>
> c.f. "Take back the night", et. cetera.  (And put it where?)
>
> Anyhow, isn't insurrection illegal or something?  ISTR reading about the
> natural right of the corrupt state to exist unconditionally, and it's
> obligation to crush any question of change for any reason.
>
> The structure of the state in fact defines its identity as a 'person'; and
> since changeing the state structure could be viewed as the murder of the
> state's personality, the state has the right, nay, obligation to preserve
> its identity unchanged.  (Isn't this pretty much polysci 101 material?)

Not typically.  The idea that the state has its own identity is obvious,
because it has a name -- the "state".  It is clearly an atomic entity,
in the same sense as a beehive or ant colony (to borrow unapologetically
from R. Dawkins).  However, discussion of the state as an singular
entity that acts to preserve itself is typically delayed until study of
Leviathan.  Then it's expanded when studying Kant's theory of
International Relations.

Those are typically 2nd-year courses, at a minimum.  IR is typically 3rd
or 4th year, but Leviathan is discussed in any number of classes, just
not polysci 101.