“The strong rule the weak.” Even during the eras when this simple law of the jungle prevailed, conquerors eventually reached a point where they cast aside their swords and picked up treaties and legal codes. It wasn’t simply because they became merciful. I believe it was because they realized that ruling by force alone is the most “inefficient” business in the world.
The Expiration Date of ‘Plunder’ and the Destruction of ‘Production’
Plunder is advantageous for temporary resource acquisition, but its sustainability is nearly zero.
- Slicing Open the Goose That Lays Golden Eggs: If I lay waste to a village and seize all the grain, I am full for the moment, but there will be no grain to take next year. This is because the farmers have either died or fled.
- The Transfer of Costs: Armed suppression is never free. The cost of maintaining an army, repairing weapons, and monitoring occupied territories is immense. The moment the maintenance cost of stationing troops exceeds the value of what is being seized, force ceases to be an economic asset and becomes a liability.
‘Consent’ Is Cheaper Than ‘Fear’
Political scientists call this the “Economics of Rule.”
- The Cost of Fear: If the subjugated despise the conqueror, I must keep a sword by my side even while sleeping. A 24-hour surveillance system must be operated to prevent rebellion, which acts as a black hole consuming the national budget.
- The Efficiency of Ideology: What if I can obtain “consent” by persuading (dialoguing with) the subjugated, saying, “We are not plundering you, but protecting you and providing order”? If I can achieve this, taxes will flow in steadily even if I cut my surveillance forces in half. In other words, dialogue and treaties are “cost-effective governance tools” that drastically lower the cost of monitoring.
Things That Cannot Be Taken by Force: Knowledge and Networks
As technology and trade developed, the things that could not be seized by the blade increased.
- The skills of master artisans, the trade networks of merchants, and the knowledge of scholars disappear the moment their heads are cut off. While I can threaten them into working, it is difficult to expect creative and voluntary productivity from them.
- The reason Rome treated the Greeks as “teachers” and preserved their culture and scholarship even after conquering them by force was that they perceived the value of knowledge to be higher than that of raw power.
The Sword Opens the Door, but the Law Guards the Room
Even if my military power is overwhelming, the reason I engage in dialogue is that “conquest” is momentary, while “governance” must be eternal. If I remain a barbarian (a plunderer), I must spend my entire life living atop a horse; however, if I become a ruler who engages in dialogue, I can collect taxes in comfort from within a palace.
Ultimately, the transition of humanity from a culture of plunder to a culture of dialogue is not so much a moral evolution as it is the result of a precise calculation by conquerors. It is the final answer to the question: “How can I take the most for the longest period of time with the least possible cost?”
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