Highlights

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when people or institutions cede power voluntarily, they are acting not so much out of fear but rather on a set of apparently reasonable arguments. These arguments tend to fall into one or more of five categories.

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the responsibility-for-others argument

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term “collective hostage-taking” to describe the phenomenon when individuals cannot be free to act because of a constant, credible threat of collective punishment

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he higher-purpose argument

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the pragmatic argument

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the if-I-don’t-do-it-someone-else-will argument

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the zeitgeist argument

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Societies define sanity as conforming to dominant beliefs and culture.

✏️ This is very understated. Just like how laws are whatever the powers that be dictate them to be, in service of protecting their private property and wealth. So here, sanity is whatever the dominant beliefs and values are determined to be by those in power. Another good one: traditions are just dead people’s peer pressure/guilt trip. 🔗 View Highlight