{"id":11527,"date":"2007-08-07T15:15:06","date_gmt":"2007-08-07T22:15:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/2007\/08\/07\/thought-for-today-2.html"},"modified":"2007-08-07T15:15:06","modified_gmt":"2007-08-07T22:15:06","slug":"thought_for_today_2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2007\/08\/07\/thought_for_today_2.html","title":{"rendered":"Thought for today"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

There are similarities between absolute power and absolute faith: a demand for absolute obedience, a readiness to attempt the impossible, a bias for simple solutions \u2014 to cut the knot rather than unravel it, the viewing of compromise as surrender. Both absolute power and absolute faith are instruments of dehumanization. Hence, absolute faith corrupts as absolutely as absolute power.<\/p>\n

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
The New York Times Magazine<\/em>, “Thoughts of Eric Hoffer,” p. 24 (25 Apr. 1971)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

(via WIST<\/a>)<\/small> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There are similarities between absolute power and absolute faith: a demand for absolute obedience, a readiness to attempt the impossible, a bias for simple solutions \u2014 to cut the knot…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[33,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11527","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-wist","category-religion"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":49744,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2015\/03\/04\/paranoia-in-american-politics.html","url_meta":{"origin":11527,"position":0},"title":"Paranoia in American Politics","author":"***Dave","date":"Wed 4-Mar-15 2:51pm","format":false,"excerpt":"The extremism that we see today is nothing new, and Hofstadter sums it up well here. The difference is that it seems the paranoids have gained enough power in government to make every issue, no matter how small, an existential struggle for survival regarding which only total victory is an\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":133891,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2017\/07\/19\/no-religious-freedom-is-not-absolute-and-it-shouldnt-be.html","url_meta":{"origin":11527,"position":1},"title":"No, religious freedom is not absolute. And it shouldn't be","author":"***Dave","date":"Wed 19-Jul-17 1:26pm","format":false,"excerpt":"The Third Circuit has struck down an appeal by a trio of Orthodox rabbis that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) means the government can't stop them from being paid by a wife to beat up on a husband who won't give her a divorce. This, they argued, was part\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":138530,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2019\/04\/02\/the-feminist-ideal.html","url_meta":{"origin":11527,"position":2},"title":"The Feminist Ideal","author":"***Dave","date":"Tue 2-Apr-19 9:14pm","format":false,"excerpt":"Tucker Carlson accuses Chris Hayes of being a feminist who wears glasses. Like that's a bad thing.","rel":"","context":"In "Fourth Estate"","block_context":{"text":"Fourth Estate","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/media\/fourth-estate"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/tucker-carlson.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/tucker-carlson.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/tucker-carlson.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/tucker-carlson.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/tucker-carlson.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/tucker-carlson.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":133490,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2017\/05\/16\/tweetizen-trump-2017-05-16-absolute-right.html","url_meta":{"origin":11527,"position":3},"title":"Tweetizen Trump – 2017-05-16 "Absolute Right!"","author":"***Dave","date":"Tue 16-May-17 8:04am","format":false,"excerpt":"It's been kind of a slow few days, Donald -- puff pieces on public speeches, Peace Officers Memorial Day, Mothers Day, speaking with the zanies at Liberty U. We were almost lulled into a sense of, if not security, then maybe blessed boredom.Then, of course, the WaPo story (followed by\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Trump%2Btweet%2Bnot%2Bleaking.PNGimgmax%3D660.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Trump%2Btweet%2Bnot%2Bleaking.PNGimgmax%3D660.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Trump%2Btweet%2Bnot%2Bleaking.PNGimgmax%3D660.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9665,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2006\/05\/16\/stop_me_if_youv.html","url_meta":{"origin":11527,"position":4},"title":"Stop me if you’ve heard this one","author":"***Dave","date":"Tue 16-May-06 1:16pm","format":false,"excerpt":"From the anything-but-Left-Wing Cato Blog: Remember when conservatives wrote books with titles like Absolute Power: the Legacy of Corruption in the Clinton-Reno Justice Department? Those were the days. But here\u2019s...","rel":"","context":"In "Elections 2008"","block_context":{"text":"Elections 2008","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/politics-law\/elections-2008"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":20515,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2011\/03\/22\/unblogged-bits-tue-22-mar-11-1130.html","url_meta":{"origin":11527,"position":5},"title":"Unblogged Bits (Tue. 22-Mar-11 1130)","author":"***Dave","date":"Tue 22-Mar-11 11:30am","format":false,"excerpt":"Links (most recent first) that caught my eye, but did not warrant full-blown blog entries .... Happiness is a warm gun : Pharyngula - But will they get in trouble if they bring one to school? Taking taxes off the table? - The only question in my mind is, do\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Potpourri"","block_context":{"text":"Potpourri","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/potpourri"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11527","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11527"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11527\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11527"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11527"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11527"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}