Civil Societarian
Encyclopedia
Civil societarianism is the belief that intermediary organizations and associations between the individual and the society have greater moral importance than the state. This differs from communitarianism
in that it does not value such intermediary associations more than the individual. The term was coined by Arnold Kling
, a George Mason University
economics professor, to clear some ground between Randian libertarians
and those libertarians that do not base their philosophy on selfishness.
In his article, Kling writes:
He also offers the concept as an alternative to ideas that Liberals should withdraw, or try to escape, from state-dominated societies.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
's theory of the General Will
serves as a good contrast to the civil societarian view, one in which all social groups should be ended apart from the state, so that they do not cause division and disunity. See Robert Nisbet
and his Quest For Community.
Communitarianism
Communitarianism is an ideology that emphasizes the connection between the individual and the community. That community may be the family unit, but it can also be understood in a far wider sense of personal interaction, of geographical location, or of shared history.-Terminology:Though the term...
in that it does not value such intermediary associations more than the individual. The term was coined by Arnold Kling
Arnold Kling
Arnold Kling is a founder and co-editor of , an economics blog, along with Bryan Caplan and David Henderson.Kling graduated from Swarthmore College in 1975 and received a Ph.D. in economics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He worked as an economist in the Federal Reserve System from 1980...
, a George Mason University
George Mason University
George Mason University is a public university based in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, south of and adjacent to the city of Fairfax. Additional campuses are located nearby in Arlington County, Prince William County, and Loudoun County...
economics professor, to clear some ground between Randian libertarians
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
and those libertarians that do not base their philosophy on selfishness.
In his article, Kling writes:
He also offers the concept as an alternative to ideas that Liberals should withdraw, or try to escape, from state-dominated societies.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer of 18th-century Romanticism. His political philosophy influenced the French Revolution as well as the overall development of modern political, sociological and educational thought.His novel Émile: or, On Education is a treatise...
's theory of the General Will
General will
The general will , made famous by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, is a concept in political philosophy referring to the desire or interest of a people as a whole. As used by Rousseau, the "general will" is identical to the rule of law, and to Spinoza's mens una.The notion of the general will is wholly...
serves as a good contrast to the civil societarian view, one in which all social groups should be ended apart from the state, so that they do not cause division and disunity. See Robert Nisbet
Robert Nisbet
Robert Alexander Nisbet was an American sociologist, professor at the University of California, Berkeley, Vice-Chancellor at the University of California, Riverside and as the Albert Schweitzer Professor at Columbia University.-Life:Nisbet was born in Los Angeles in 1913 and raised in the small...
and his Quest For Community.