Du pouvoir, by Bertrand de Jouvenel, dates back to 1945. At that time, the staggering growth of the modern state and the realization that it could only continue to grow inexorably were already causing fear. But what astonishing speed this happened with! The power wielded by the state in those years, just over half a century ago, seems insignificant compared to the power wielded today by any Western democracy. Today, the state has the means to monitor the most intimate details of any citizen’s private life and to annihilate, overnight and without the slightest effort, the life of anyone it targets. In 1945, although the relentless process of growth in power could be predicted, no one could have imagined the monstrosity of the technological arsenal that would quickly fall into the hands of Lobaczewski’s psychopaths. Between the individual and the state, the disparity of means is absolute. Indeed, Lobaczewski seems to have grasped something valuable: to understand the historical, sociological, and political development of the West, it is appropriate to establish a science of evil.