Harold J. Laski: “They had no thought of sacrificing themselves to an institution which…”

On the record

They had no thought of sacrificing themselves to an institution which they had much ground for thinking existed only for their torment.

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Harold J. Laski

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Laski notes that individuals were unwilling to sacrifice for institutions that seemed to exist solely for their suffering.

More from Harold J. Laski

The State has power only for the protection of natural law.

The contract is thus not general as with Hobbes but limited and specific in character.

When I obey the state, I obey the best part of myself.

But we cannot understand the eighteenth century, or its theories, unless we realize that its temper was still dominantly aristocratic.

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Harold J. Laski: “They had no thought of sacrificing themselves to an institution which they had much ground for thinking existed only for…”