Unit 3: Theories of Nature of the State

These theories do not try to explain the *origin* of the state, but rather its *fundamental character* and *purpose* – what the state *is*.

• Core Idea: The state is an ethical institution and the highest manifestation of human morality. It is an end in itself, not just a means to an end.
• Key Thinkers: Plato, Aristotle, Hegel, T.H. Green.
• Hegel's View: Hegel is the most famous idealist. He saw the state as "the march of God on earth." He believed the state is the ultimate embodiment of reason and ethics.
• Nature of the State: The state is a "super-organism" with a will of its own (the General Will), which is superior to the individual's will. True freedom for the individual lies in complete obedience to the state.
• Criticism: This theory is abstract and metaphysical. By glorifying the state, it can be used to justify totalitarianism and state worship, as seen in Fascism.

• Core Idea: The state is a living organism, and individuals are its cells. The state is a "social organism."
• Key Thinker: Herbert Spencer (though Plato also compared the state to a human body).
• Analogy: Spencer drew a detailed analogy:
  • The government is like the brain (directing system).
  • The economy and industries are like the digestive system (sustaining system).
  • Roads and communication are like the circulatory system.
• Implications:
  • Individuals are subordinate to the state, just as cells are to the body. The whole (state) is more important than its parts (individuals).
  • This theory was used by Spencer to argue *against* state intervention (unlike a body, cells are not conscious; the state should let 'survival of the fittest' operate).
• Criticism: This is a flawed analogy. The state is a human-made organization, not a biological organism. Individuals are conscious and independent, unlike cells.

• Core Idea: This theory views the state purely as a legal entity or a "juridic person." It is a concept of law.
• Nature of the State: The state is a legal construction created to define and enforce rights and obligations. It is the "legal person" that owns public property, makes contracts, and can sue or be sued.
• Focus: It is not concerned with the moral, historical, or social aspects of the state, only its legal personality.
• Significance: This theory is fundamental to constitutional law and international law (where states are the primary legal actors).
• Criticism: It is a very narrow and formalistic view. It ignores the real-world political, social, and power dynamics of the state.

• Core Idea: The state is not a natural or neutral institution for the common good. It is an instrument of class domination.
• Key Thinkers: Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, V.I. Lenin.
• Origin of State: The state arose only when society split into two irreconcilable, warring economic classes (the 'haves' and the 'have-nots').
• Nature of the State: In a capitalist society, the state is the "executive committee of the bourgeoisie" (the ruling capitalist class). Its purpose is to protect private property and use its coercive power (police, army) to suppress the working class (proletariat) and maintain the system of exploitation.
• Future of the State: Marxists believe that after a proletarian revolution, a temporary "dictatorship of the proletariat" will be established. This will eventually lead to communism, a classless society, in which the state will become unnecessary and will "wither away."