Charles C. Mann Quote

All states can be parceled into four types: pluralist, in which the state is seen by its people as having moral legitimacy; populist, in which government is viewed as an expression of the people’s will; great beast, in which the rulers’ power depends on using force to keep the populace cowed; and great fraud, in which the elite uses smoke and mirrors to convince the people of its inherent authority.

Charles C. Mann

All states can be parceled into four types: pluralist, in which the state is seen by its people as having moral legitimacy; populist, in which government is viewed as an expression of the people’s will; great beast, in which the rulers’ power depends on using force to keep the populace cowed; and great fraud, in which the elite uses smoke and mirrors to convince the people of its inherent authority.

Related Quotes

About Charles C. Mann

Charles C. Mann (born 1955) is an American journalist and author, specializing in scientific topics. In 2006 his book 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus won the National Academies Communication Award for best book of the year. He is the co-author of four books, and contributing editor for Science, The Atlantic Monthly, and Wired.