"For by art is created that great LEVIATHAN called a COMMONWEALTH, or STATE (in Latin, CIVITAS), which is but an artificial man, though of greater stature and strength than the natural, for whose protection and defence it was intended; and in which the sovereignty is an artificial soul, as giving life and motion to the whole body; the magistrates and other officers of judicature and execution, artificial joints; reward and punishment (by which fastened to the seat of the sovereignty, every joint and member is moved to perform his duty) are the nerves, that do the same in the body natural; the wealth and riches of all the particular members are the strength; salus populi (the people's safety) its business; counsellors, by whom all things needful for it to know are suggested unto it, are the memory; equity and laws, an artificial reason and will; concord, health; sedition, sickness; and civil war, death."
Yes, indeed Mr. Hobbes, this seems a mighty pondering. As lines maybe even pages surface from this whale of a book, other pages (possibly dolphins, possibly sharks) will appear as well. Why? Well in a land of many Ahabs and far too few Ishmaels, it might at least while away the time to take a gander at Hobbes, Thucydides, Plato, Weil, Orwell and Sweet Dionysus who knows who else to probably only darken the picture as to what passes for a sane world around us. The more specific question being--can liberals and conservatives if they read the same books very carefully arrive at a useful and useless definition of force that might shed some light and darkness on current muddlin's goin' on.
Harpoon #1: The state as a standing, possibly reclining, possibly too corpse-like human being. A Gargantua? The state as a lover of tripe? Yes. And where might one find all the tripe this state, ah America, needs? Political discourse. Let's set the table.
6 comments:
i remember when the submarine on Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea was swallowed by a whale or atomic monster - that was a really cool episode in my life - it was suspenseful and tense and the acting was really good too -
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea . . . ah yes, nuclear power in the hands of Richard Basehart and scientific exploration. Possibly we should beam episodes over to Iran so that they can understand how to use nuclear power to create compelling TV dramas which will subtlely affect the minds of young viewers to that these young viewers grow up to actively consume the sea, nuclear power, and Richard Basehart memorabilia. Excellent tripe.
I should not speak of my students. It has no place here. They are not the leviathan, though they do love tripe. They are the minnow. They find light where I find darkness, and find tripe where I find . . . No, I should not speak of them. Forget them, quickly.
Well maybe one example. In today's exam, Mitford's expose on the "art" of embalming is argued by all to be a splendid defense of the industry. Steaming goodness. Do you approve Mr. Pantagruel?
The leviathan, yes. He he feels an itch in Connecticut. What did he do with that trusty cod piece when he needed it? Maybe he should have kept his smart bomb in his trousers.
Lovely essay on death Captain Langston. Off the top of my barnacles, I remember the title as having something of the "formaldehyde curtain" in it. Yes, I have it--"Behind the Formaldehyde Curtain." Yes, I believe a Mr. Jones (of Dylan and Counting Crows fame)is intimately manipulated by complete stangers for complete strangers (that being the family). And your little charges did not pick-up on the implied criticism of the American Death Industry? Well, well Captain Langston in a culture where sacrifice is not necessary because we have mercenary troops fight our battles and bloggers (see texasyank) can wax on about giving up on proportionality in war--hell, suffering is for less fortunate people; dealing with death is for the less fortunate; we the true visionaries see a world where eventually even our living time will be done by other people because by God Sir, we are the Empire! Though I must say, I am guilty of participating in the glorious American Death enterprise through a number of funerals (and I wouldn't necessarily want to prepare the body myself (note I said "necessarily)), the most intimate "death celebration" I've had was when a friend and I drained a bottle of Macallan's in memory of a recently departed friend. This of course does not help your teaching situation. Tomorrow I will bring Aeschylus into the equation as I call for the President to treat his body as the state (per Mr. Hobbes) and offer up part of his small intestine, large intestine, stomach, kidney or liver as a ritual sacrifice for all of us to cook in wine (I'm thinking a deep, dark Cab)and devour. This I believe will help your teaching situation and mine. Carpe Diem, Captain Langston. The helm is yours.
I look forward to your entreaty. He goes on and on about pig carvings, so if a more indirect approach is required, you might invite him to one. You know, the guest of honor.
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