Inkwell Institute

Professor’s Classroom

Subject:  Political Philosophy

Paper #13

The State…now here is where the philosophers are separated from the common folk….what is meant by the State?  Probably the most popular definition is the political body that controls an area and its people….and the use of the word denotes a certain way of a political community…the workings of a “state” can either be feared or embraced depending on the particular concept of what it is and what it does…..in other words the “political authority”……..

We have classical definitions all the major players in the development of the science of political philosophy have attempted to define just what the Hell constitutes a “State”…Aristotle, for instance, saw it as a rule distinctive from that of the household……Locke saw it as a political community and an extension of the family……then there was Hobbes who toyed with the idea of religion in a political sense (a post for a later date)……but no matter who you side with in the debate on what a state is…there are a wealth of definitions….

In a more modern vein…the state can be defined by one’s political leanings….for instance the major political systems view the state in different terms….as illustrated by Robt. Heywood in his book, “Political Ideologies”…..

Liberals–state is a neutral arbiter among the competing interests and groups within a society.  A vital referee for social order.  Classical liberals sees the state as a necessary evil and extol the virtues of a minimal  or nightwatchman state.  Modern liberals see the state as a positive roll in widening freedom and promoting equal opportunities.

Conservatives–link state with the need to provide authority and discipline and to protect if from chaos and disorder, hence the belief in a strong state.  Traditional conservs are pragmatic and look for a balance between state and civil society.  Neoliberals have called for a “roll back” in the state as it threatens economic prosperity and is driven by bureaucratic self-interest.

Socialists–because there are so many factions there is a wealth of contrasting views….i.e. Marxists stress the link between state and class struggle, seeing it in either as an instrument of class rule or as a way to improve the plight of the working class.  Other socialists like the social democrats regard the state as an embodiment of the common good and thus approve of interventionism.

But the biggest question that is usually asked is……Is the State necessary?   Well, is it?

UpDate:  I apologize to the loyal readers for this incomplete post.  I was in the middle of it when a terrible t/storm came up and had to get off the ‘puter and now the train of thought is gone….and I cannot think of where I was going with it.  SORRY!