logoalt Hacker News

kijinlast Saturday at 4:05 PM1 replyview on HN

Equating a person with the government or the nation is a common trait among autocrats. L'État, c'est moi.


Replies

lo_zamoyskilast Saturday at 4:31 PM

Not quite...

Medieval kings were considered the embodiment of the government, but that didn't make them autocratic. Indeed, they were not only bound by a thicket of obligations and customs, but authority itself is only legitimate when it is just, a view that is traditional; it is modern legal positivism that roots authority in fiat, making it inherently tyrannical.

show 1 reply