Statistical laws in politics presuppose mass passivity (actual or presumed).
Evidence
To deny that one can construct a sociology, understood in the sense of a science of society, that is a science of history and politics, which is not co-terminous with the philosophy of praxis itself, does not mean that one cannot build up an empirical compilation of practical observations which extend the sphere of philology as traditionally understood. … But the fact has not been properly emphasised that statistical laws can be employed in the science and art of politics only so long as the great masses of the population remain (or at least are reputed to remain) essentially passive, in relation to the questions which interest historians and politicians. — Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, 1530
Categorization
- DEFINE: Defines the scope condition under which political statistics are valid — a core mechanism concept for the toolkit: prediction via statistical law assumes the governed stay passive.
- XREF: Links forward to later Islamophobia readings on how bureaucratic/scientific rationality and state enumeration presume and produce governable populations; connects to the ‘law of large numbers’ governing subjects. — connects to: Statistical laws apply to politics only while masses remain passive — Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, 1530; Political statistics lose validity once masses become politically active — Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, 1530; Statistics are knowledge that constitutes and orders the state — David Theo Goldberg, The Threat of Race: Reflections on…, 1727 (+1 more)
Broader Connections
- Statistical laws apply to politics only while masses remain passive
#corroborates(0.98) — Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, 1530 - Political statistics lose validity once masses become politically active
#corroborates(0.92) — Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, 1530 - Statistics are knowledge that constitutes and orders the state
#expands(0.72) — David Theo Goldberg, The Threat of Race, 1727 - Dichotomous simplification and imprecision are the very condition of political action
#complicates(0.72) — Ernesto Laclau, On Populist Reason, 62