Critique of Violence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Critique of Violence - Essay Example Notably, abolishing states would not be an end to violence in the world as human beings would turn against one another. However, there is need for strict control of power possessed by states to ensure that incidences of violence are minimized and the public are at a less vulnerable point. The members of public should work together to limit government power in order to reduce cases of violence within states. State violence is a scenario that emerged as soon as the state was formed. The theories of state formation indicate that states originated from the intention of human beings to surrender power to a central body that would protect people from one another. In nature, human beings are aggressive and would do anything to acquire wealth and other material things. It is this aggressive nature of human beings that brings the urge to kill as each of them pursues their interests. Therefore, human beings had to surrender this ill power to the state so that the state would control their aggression. Consequently, the state uses this power to exercise violence within the public. As Weber (11-40) notes, the state is a relation of men dominating men by means of legitimate violence. The implication is that the state government uses the power accorded by the public to control them and to exercise violence within the boundaries. Since the state is unquestionable and is responsible for the formation o f laws, they possess the power to exercise violence with no questions from the public. Therefore, the public are submissive to the power of the government, and this puts them at a vulnerable position. The state uses violence to pursue their selfish goals and to control the rebellion of the members of public. Mbembe (12) points out that the government possesses the power to decide who dies and who lives. This implies that the sovereignty of the state is manifested in their ability to decide matters of life. While government can