The afterlife of a captured mind

Mystery shrouds the political moves determined on high in the distant Center, Moscow. People speak about prominent figures in hushed tones. In the vast expanses of Euro Asia, whole nations can vanish without leaving a trace. Armies number into the millions. Terror becomes socially useful and effective. Philosophers rule the state – obviously not philosophers in the traditional sense of the word, but dialecticians. The conviction grows that the whole world will be conquered. Great hordes of followers appear on all the continents. Lies are concocted from seeds of truth.

From 'The Captive Mind'
Czeslaw Milosz
1953