Is this equivalent to saying that a government is any entity which has the will and the ability to kill you if it deems necessary?
“If necessary to enforce rules” might be a slightly better modification; somebody who kills you because it’s more convenient than not killing you isn’t necessarily trying to govern your behavior, after all.
And I think that parents of small children are final enforcers. No one sues their five-year-old for throwing a tantrum.
So in a traditional (patriarchal) household, each husband is a government, right? And all parents, too?
No, because few husbands or parents are willing or able to act as final enforcers.
Final enforcement requires unlimited escalation. No matter how you escalate the situation, a final enforcer will escalate back.
Is this equivalent to saying that a government is any entity which has the will and the ability to kill you if it deems necessary?
And I think that parents of small children are final enforcers. No one sues their five-year-old for throwing a tantrum.
“If necessary to enforce rules” might be a slightly better modification; somebody who kills you because it’s more convenient than not killing you isn’t necessarily trying to govern your behavior, after all.
They’re unwilling or unable to escalate.