Society is not built on violence

I've always had problems with the widespread theory that all societies are ultimately grounded in violence. This seems to be the received libertarian, Hobbesian view of the state. But as Harari succinctly puts it, "To say that a social order is maintained by military force immediately raises the question: what maintains military order? At least some of the commanders and soldiers must truly believe in something, be it God, honour, motherland, manhood or money."

Societies are maintained by coordinated belief systems, not violence. However, violence sometimes helps to coordinate belief systems, by frightening, expelling, torturing, imprisoning or killing those who refuse to adjust to the dominant belief system.