I bet all the smart people were like "dude, do NOT ride that horse!", demonstrating how intelligence can impede the progress of the human race, if what we need to progress is something really stupid.

We just have to come up with one really big lie, to get everyone to love the truth...

Don't worry, later Emperors ended up embracing Confuscian thought, which surely made them all super virtuous and never use brutality and fear to enforce their rule...surely...

It is actually funny sometimes how much property relations determine people's ideas. Like billionaires can read all the philosophy they want, they will always find a way to side with the police, for "reasons". Or how landlords will always manage to convince themselves that it is actually bad for society in general if rent goes down. Humans are amazing animals.

Imagine thinking you've reached the End of History when you didn't even have PlayStation 3 yet.

And the case of wine? Oh hell yeah, it's natural to drink wine. As long as I don't have to pay. It's natural to mooch on wine, I guess is my philosophy.

In order to live without violence, we have to obey the State, or we will all just give in to our most base instincts. If the State is just giving in to our most base instincts though...