Fear: A Pathognomonic Symptom of Dictatorship
Submitted by adm on Tue, 12/02/2019 - 01:16In medicine, a pathognomonic sign or symptom is one which by itself is sufficient to establish beyond doubt the presence of a particular disease.
The work of social scientists is similar to that of physicians: they observe the overt symptoms of society, explore those that are not immediately apparent, analyse their causes, interpret their meaning, establish a diagnosis and propose a treatment. Well-educated and trained social scientists are capable of dissecting the layers of the structure and dynamics of a phenomenon with all the thoroughness and accuracy of a micro-surgeon.