The Checkered History of the Circumscription Theory

The greatest of cultural achievements, from the Taj Majal to Beethovens 9th symphony, could never have been produced, or even dreamt of, except in a society organized on a state basis. Had people continued to live in small, autonomous communities, as they had for the first two million years of human existence, such achievements would have remained well beyond their capabilities. Thus the form of organization known as the state was one of the most momentous attainments in human history. Yet ...