Re: State

Gene Kalutskiy wrote:

>
> Gerry wrote:
> >>>Back to the definitions for the word state. Were you a bit surprised
> that the first 25 or so definitions referred to things other than "a
> settled government" for the term "state". I know I was.
> -snip-
> And the earliest citations were from early British references. When
> Egypt was supposedly "forming a state" the concept for "state" hadn't
> been invented! So I question the role of Pharoah -- I think Pharoah had
> to have been some form of "god". And the "servants" who built the
> pyramids were likely dedicated "believers" doing good works for a decent
> afterlife...
> -snip-
> Gerry<<<
>
> Gerry, what is your point? The fact that the word "state" in English
> (and a few other languages) has a bunch of different meanings is
> irrelevant to what kind of government existed in the ancient Egypt.
>

Gerry here: Yes, I'm aware that the word "state" has as you say
different meanings in different languages. And I'm aware that English
is only one of the languages (when I wrote the etymology of "state" the
Soviet Union had not dissolved), so my thinking was a bit "centralized"
rather than the opposite.

> There are lots of other less ambiguous words that describe the same
> concept- take republic, kingdom, empire, duchy, county, etc. Those are
> the words that are used to describe different states and governments
> that exist all over the world.
>

Gerry: Again, I claim fault. I know that in assessing the historical
situation now, one needs to keep in mind a global perspective. However,
when I first began assessing "state formation" the Soviet Union was
still in tact.

> I simply don't understand what you are leading to. Imagine, there is
> this really mean and strong guy who likes to fight and doesn't like to
> work. He gathers a few buddies, gives them heavy sticks and they go
> beat up some people in a neighbouring village and loot it. They do it a
> couple more times, then they just tell the villagers:"Bring us what we
> want every month and we want come back to beat you." And then the
> villagers come to him seaking protection from another warlord who's
> trying to rob them. So now we have a ruler with some fighting men who
> protects his villagers - there you go, a state! (Looks remarkably like
> mafia's raketeering thing, no?)
>

Gerry: How would you define a state? A family? A union? A
brotherhood? A geographic entity? A political entity? A religious
schism? A social group? An economic council? An historical forum?
etc. Seems to me, the definitions are endless!

> And it doesn't matter if they don't have a word for "state", or if
> their "state" word means a bunch of other stuff, a state is basically a
> territory with some form of government on it, and that's what they have.
>

Gerry: I rather doubt if what you are saying is correct.

Gerry

>
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