Humber on Nostr: "A good reactionary should see the problem here: If everyone is defecting, a small ...

"A good reactionary should see the problem here: If everyone is defecting, a small alliance that is actually loyal to each other is highly adaptive. A loyal and honorable force cuts through an uneasy alliance of defectors like a hot knife through butter. Indeed, this is how feudalism began in Europe, how tiny Rome took over the Italian peninsula, and so on. Martin is categorically incapable of seeing the value in a cohesive group of honorable men; honor evolved for a good reason!

The reason being that it defeats weak anarchy…

Polygamous tribal societies have murder rates of 30%. If you’re not the alpha, you fight and die to try and get there. Still works that way in the urban ghetto. And that’s instability. A cohesive warband of loyal men will slaughter a tribe of infighting polygamists like sheep.”

—Aiden MacLear, Culture Meet Axe: Game of Thrones