The state is, therefore, by no means a power forced on society from without; just as little is it ‘the reality of the ethical idea’, ‘the image and reality of reason’, as Hegel maintains. Rather, it is a product of society at a certain stage of development; it is the admission that this society has become entangled in an insoluble contradiction with itself, that it has split into irreconcilable antagonisms which it is powerless to dispel. But in order that these antagonisms, these classes with conflicting economic interests, might not consume themselves and society in fruitless struggle, it became necessary to have a power, seemingly standing above society, that would alleviate the conflict and keep it within the bounds of ‘order’; and this power, arisen out of society but placing itself above it, and alienating itself more and more from it, is the state.
Engels in
The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State
,
this is the definition ive been going off for a year now, and idk its served me well for my discussions with both anarchists and marxists (via
)
I mean that sounds good, but like what does that mean in terms of its concrete functions? Like what stuff does it have to do to be a state? Does it have to have a monopoly on violence? Above it how? For that matter who is included in a society? What requirements does a society have to meet to qualify as a society?
Like it’s a nice statement but I guess like what does it mean in concrete terms? Does it mean a monopoly on violence? Does it mean having power over what eggs are allowed to be labeled jumbo?
(via thepeacockangel)
Yeah nah i definetely agree with you that it really doesn’t inform much of a day to day praxis. Admittedly the text its from does then go onto speak about that stuff. But I think also considering how many societies or “eras” the state has existed in a certain generisation is nessecary. It’s probably why ive been able to get away with using it for a year – it is so vague. But it does serve as a good starting point because it takes the state out of the vacumn that many people – including marxists – try to place it.
(via resist-rebel-rejoice)
Yeah but they have to do some of the same stuff consistently or calling them all states becomes weird. Like there are a lot of kinds of brushes, hair brushes, scrub brushes, makeup brushes, tooth brushes, paint brushes, bottle brushes, but they’ve all got more 1 row of bristles (usually at least somewhat flexible inflexible “teeth” or “tines” mean a comb, unless it has more than two rows of them and then what it is becomes fuzzy) on a handle
And like obviously what states all have in common is harder to figure out than what a hairbrush has in common with a paint brush with a bottle brush but like what concrete features does it have that make it a state? Does it have to have a flag and an anthem? Does recognition as a state by other states make it a state? But like what if we end up with an anarchist territory and like we get recognized as existing by various states, would that make us a state? It has to like… have pin downable features. I feel like a lot of theory is… a lot of adjectives without nouns, if you get what I mean?
Like indefinable stuff without a concrete way to apply it to reality. It’s like playing I Spy but never getting answers sometimes.
Thoughts From The Peacock Angel 