Briggs: No result stems from a given order. Orders come from the uninvolved.
Translation:
VI.
Only the expression of the commitment of God, independent from time, may relate to a whole number of events, having taken place across a few years or centuries, and only a Deity, caused by nothing, may determine, by its one will, the direction of the movements of humanity; a person again acts in time and itself participates in an event.
Recovering the first lost condition — the condition of time, we see that one order may not be executed without this, so that there were not previous orders, making possible the entrusted subsequent.
Never does one order appear spontaneously and not includes in itself a whole number of events; but each order follows from another and never applies to a whole number of events, but always only to one moment of events.
When we say, for example, that Napoleon ordered troops to go to war, we unite at one and the same time an expressed order of the row of consistent orders, hanging from each other. Napoleon could not order the trip to Russia and never ordered it. He ordered now to write such paperwork to Vienna, to Berlin and to Petersburg; tomorrow, — such decrees and orders by the army, navy and quartermaster and etc. and etc., — millions of orders, from which put together a row of orders, respective of a number of events, leading the French troops to Russia.
If Napoleon in all his reign gave back orders about an expedition to England; or to another of their enterprises does not spend so much efforts and time and, despite that, in all his reign not even once tries to perform his intentions, but makes an expedition to Russia, with which he, by repeatedly expressing the conviction, considering it profitable to be in union, that this is going on from how the first orders did not correspond; but the second corresponded to a number of events.
So that an order was for sure executed, it is needed so that a person expressed such an order which could be executed. Knowing the same that what may be and what may not be executed is impossible, not only for the Napoleonic trip to Russia, where accepts the participation of millions, but for uncomplicated events themselves, for the execution of this and another always may meet millions of obstacles. In all performed orders is always lots of unfulfilled. All impossible orders are not connected with the event and they are not executed. Only those that are possible, connected in the consistent ranks of orders, relevant to rows of events, and there are executed.
Our false presentation about that a prior event of order is the cause of events, going on from what now the event of subjected and of the thousand of orders are carried out only those that are tied with events, that we forget about those which are not carried out, because of how they could not be executed. Besides this, the main spring of our delusion in this sense is going on from how in a historical statement a whole row of countless, diverse, smallest events, as, for example, all that brought the troops of the French to Russia is summarized in one event, by that result which was promoted by these nearby events, and, according to this summary, is summarized and all the row of orders are in one expression of commitment.
We say: Napoleon wanted to and made a trip to Russia. In reality we never find out throughout the activities of Napoleon anything like that expression of this commitment, but see ranks of orders, or the expression of his commitment, very varied and in an uncertain way directed. From the countless number of Napoleonic orders put together the defined row of performed orders for the trip of the 12th year not because, so that these orders are somewhat distinguished from other, unfulfilled orders, but because of how these row of orders coincided with nearby events, leading the French troops to Russia; exactly so the same as in a stencil is drawn such or another figure not because, on which side as smeared by it colors, but because of how the figure, cut in stencil, in all parties was smeared paint.
So that looking at the time of the attitude of orders to events, we find out that an order in which case may not be a reason for events, but that between that and others exists a famous definite dependence.
So that to understand in what consists this dependence, it is necessary to restore another lost condition of any orders, outgoing not from God, but from humanity and consisting in what itself orders the person participating in the event.
This is that attitude ordering to that, who orders it, and it is that what was called power. This attitude consists in the following:
For general activities, people form always in famous connections, in which, despite the difference of goals, delivered for an aggregate action, the attitude between people, participating in an action, always is equal.
Forming in these connections, people always become between themselves in such an attitude that the greatest number of people accept the greatest direct participation and the least number of people — the least direct participation in this aggregate action for which they form.
From all those connections, in which forms people for a committed aggregate action, one of the sharpest and certain is the army.
All the army forms from the lower by military rank members — the rank and file, which always is the greatest number, from the following by the military ranks — Ńorporals, noncommissioned-officers, which number less than the first, from still higher, the number of which is still less and etc. to the highest military authorities, which focuses on one face.
The military arrangement may be completely exactly expressed in the figure of a cone, in which the foundation with a very big diameter will form privates; cross-sections, which are above the foundations, — the ascending ranks of the army and etc. to the tops of the cone, the point which will form a commander.
The soldiers, which is the greatest number, form the inferior points of the cone and its foundation. The soldier itself directly stings, cuts, burns, robs, and always in this action gets an order from the higher standing persons; itself the same never orders. The noncommissioned officer (the number of the noncommissioned-officers is now less), rarely commits most of the action, than the soldier; but now orders. The officer still rarely commits most of the action and still more often orders. The general now only orders the troops to go, pointing to the objective, and almost never uses weapons. The commander now never may take direct participation in most of the action and only makes the general orders about the movement of masses. That same attitude of persons between itself shows in every connection of people for general activities, — in farming, trade and in every management.
So, not sharing artificially all the merging points of the cone, — all ranks of the army, or rank and provisions which would be management, or common affairs, from the lower to the higher, we see a law, by which people for committing the aggregate action are composed always between myself in such a regard that the more directly they participate in a committing action, by that less they may order and by that the more is their number; and the less that direct participation, which they accept in most of action, by that they more order and by that their number is less; while not reaching in such a way, ascending from lower layers, to the one last human, hosting the least direct participation in the event and more all directing their activity in the ordering.
This is that attitude of persons ordering by that which they order, and forms the essence of an idea, called power.
Recovering the conditions of time, in which takes place all events, we found that the order carries out only then, when it applies to a corresponding number of events. Recovering the same necessary condition of communication between ordering and performing, we found that, by his most property, ordering to accept the least participation in most of the event, and that their activity is exclusively directed in the ordering.
Mentioned: to-day, to-morrow, 1812
Locations:
Mentioned: Russia, Vienna, Berlin, St. Petersburg, French, England
Pevear and Volokhonsky Notes: Tolstoy, mainly focusing on the Napoleonic invasion of Russia, takes orders, actions, and events as the events that are not only possible, but the collection of orders, actions, and events that do happen rather than do not happen.
Tolstoy develops his conception of power by describing a social contract, that is, a group of people forming together with a goal and the majority taking the larger role. The military is held up as an example of this, especially as to how the largest number carries out the actions but doesn't give orders and vice versa.
Characters (characters who do not appear, but are mentioned are placed in italics. First appearances are in Bold. First mentions are underlined. Final appearance denoted by *):
Napoleon
Abridged Versions: Line break in Bell instead of a chapter break.
Gibian: Line break instead of chapter break.
Additional Notes:
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