On the record
He sees that the subjection of the many to the few is rooted in human impulse; but he has no penetrating inquiry, such as that of Locke or Hobbes, into the purpose of such subjection.
Said by
Harold J. Laski
Source
gutenberg.orgHarold J. Laski: “He sees that the subjection of the many to the few is rooted in human impulse; but he has no penetrating inquiry, such…”
Editor's note · Context
Laski critiques the lack of depth in Hume's exploration of political subjection.
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The intolerance may be Catholic, when it insists that a unity of outlook is essential for the preservation of society; or it may be Protestant when, as with Calvin and the Socinians, it holds that the blasphemous nature of the belief…
Each age makes some idol in its own image and sacrifices upon its altar the freedom of those who refuse it worship.
When attacks on liberty are political or economic, it is their motive rather than their nature that changes.
He is able, accordingly, to indulge in the twofold luxury not only of preserving his own authority, but also of assisting the persons attacked to enter, if they so choose, the way of truth.
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