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

0362724 - ÚSP 2012 RIV HU eng J - Článek v odborném periodiku
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
Výzkumný záměr: CEZ:AV0Z70680506
Klíčová slova: state theory * history of ethics * sovereignty
Kód oboru RIV: AG - Právní vědy

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.
Trvalý link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0198967