British Military Fitness is refreshingly untouchy-feely. No excuses, no gloves, no water and you do those press ups properly. Because it is blokey and bantery and the trainer knows what he's doing, it is great fun. We did it as a one off work thing, me and the Finance department had a lovely time.
Made me think Hobbes was on to something
Hobbes says a strong all powerful leader is vital for a state. The alternative being the freedom which results in chaos and crime. Famously he said life in the state of nature is bloody, brutal and most of all short.
Better to submit to supreme authority and have the trains run on time.
Coats and hegemony
I've never had much truck with it. I'm a liberal who isn't writing in a civil war context. I don't undertand why there isn't a middle ground between obeying God's representitive on earth and starving to death. Liberal democracy?
Sometimes though it works much better to just be told what to do, rather than tedious consultation that results in grey compromise.
I also read in the Economist that periods of one state hegemony tend to result in better conditions for free trade. Hegemony meaning sustained dominance, cultural, military and economically (USA recently). It's the same idea; things work better when you just do what the man says.
Hobbes also wore the same coat for 40 years. There's a theme with philosophers and coats, I'll return to it another time.
