Sage: Isn't this Boétie's position? That government cannot rule by force alone, but must also have some form of support?
Isn't this Boétie's position? That government cannot rule by force alone, but must also have some form of support?
Yes, it is, though there are great variations in how much a government depends upon coercion, cooperation or passivity to rule. This largely depends upon the array of de facto powers (economic, military, ideological) and the learned habits of the masses. One characteristic that liberal and democratic ideologies (and by this I mean liberalism generally, both its classical and socialist brands) falsely ascribe to the majority is the tendency to 'rise up' against oppresion. Much more commonly passive indifference is the response of the majority, because they 1) can do nothing and 2) have no idea what to do if they could. People are generally trapped in heinous political systems not by coercion or indoctrination, but due to a realistic assessment of these two facts. Furthermore, it's not clear why an ordinary person would want to do anything about it, since it's most likely going to invite reprisals against him from both the state and the populace while achieving absolutely nothing of significancy to him.
In short revolutions are public goods.