The Changing Role of the State: The State as a Mirror of the Individual?

0362724 - ÚSP 2012 RIV HU eng J - Journal Article
Šejvl, Michal
The Changing Role of the State: The State as a Mirror of the Individual?
Acta Juridica Hungarica. Roč. 52, č. 2 (2011), s. 157-165. ISSN 1216-2574
Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z70680506
Keywords : state theory * history of ethics * sovereignty
Subject RIV: AG - Legal Sciences

The topic of this article is the discussion on two speculations: The first is that the notion of state and its sovereignty is modeled according to the concept of the moral sovereignty (moral autonomy) of an individual. This speculation is supported with the arguments mainly from the history of ethics and the theory of state. The second speculation discussed stems from the first one: Do we face in our present-day situation any changes in the moral characteristics of an individual, and if it is so, what could be the effects of these changes on the concept of state? The authors see the biggest change in the growing number of people who perceive themselves as arbitrary and not-responsible “free riders”. The article concludes with the notion of state as an “authoritarian insurance company” – state is no longer perceived as a community of citizens based on common bonds of solidarity, but as an “insurance company” that helps “free riding” citizens, if some of their acts have failed to be successful. And since there is no solidarity in a society of “free riders”, the state must force them to contribute something to the state – hence it is authoritarian state.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0198967