Is the State a Compulsory Religion? - Shamus Mac

Self-proclaimed conspiratorial thinker Shamus Mac claims that the
modern state is a direct descendent of rule by divine mandate. To
that end, he argues that the modern nation-state is a form of
compulsory religion, where inhabitants are controlled by the
monopoly of force held by the state. For Shamus, the word
"religion" means a set of binding beliefs and vows - which he
sees as the foundation for human relationships with their
governments the world over.   Our conversation strays
from the idea of the state as a compulsory religion to cover the
assessment of information, the meaning of science, and perhaps
most importantly - the merits and dangers of statehood,
regardless of its parallels with compulsory religion. Let us know
your thoughts in the comments section, humans!  SciAm
article discussed in the episode:
 https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/people-drawn-to-conspiracy-theories-share-a-cluster-of-psychological-features/
 Find Shamus' Rational School at https://rationalschool.com
and his podcast, Church of State, at https://churchofstate.com/
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