Consequentialist justifications of the state
Encyclopedia
Consequentialist justifications of the state are philosophical arguments which contend that the state
is justified by the good results it produces.
The justification of the state is a term that refers to the source of legitimate authority for the state or government
. Typically, a justification of the state explains why the state should exist, and what a legitimate state should or should not be able to do. Consequentialist justifications of the state focus on the results that are achieved when certain institutions are put in place. They are based on consequentialist
theories such as utilitarianism
. Consequentialism is sometimes confused with utilitarianism, but utilitarianism is only one member of a broad family of consequentialist theories.
Consequentialist theories usually maintain that the rightness or wrongness of an action depends on whether or not the results of the action are desirable. They are frequently contrasted to deontological theories of morality, which typically hold that certain actions are either forbidden or wrong per se.
is an institution that legitimates a particular government. Sometimes arguments about legitimacy have a mystical side to them, as when kings claim divine right
.
Different political philosophies have distinct opinions concerning the state as a domestic organization monopolizing force.
As an example, consequentialists might observe that the state builds bridges. They would ask whether those bridges would have been built in the absence of the state and whether those bridges are valued by those who use them. If the bridges would not have otherwise been built and they are valuable to those who use them, then the existence of the state is justified.
A philosopher who doubts or denies the legitimacy of the state might respond by questioning the ethical premise, saying for example that the workers who built that bridge were exploited by the government that ordered it built, and/or by the investors in the private contractors who profited. The philosopher might have a deontological theory of exploitation
.
Alternatively, a skeptic might concede that the bridge is a good consequence but contend that even on consequentialist grounds the argument fails. He might argue that an even better bridge might have been built under anarchist
conditions. This counter-argument raises the issue of opportunity cost
and the whole issue becomes an exercise in economic reasoning.
State (polity)
A state is an organized political community, living under a government. States may be sovereign and may enjoy a monopoly on the legal initiation of force and are not dependent on, or subject to any other power or state. Many states are federated states which participate in a federal union...
is justified by the good results it produces.
The justification of the state is a term that refers to the source of legitimate authority for the state or government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
. Typically, a justification of the state explains why the state should exist, and what a legitimate state should or should not be able to do. Consequentialist justifications of the state focus on the results that are achieved when certain institutions are put in place. They are based on consequentialist
Consequentialism
Consequentialism is the class of normative ethical theories holding that the consequences of one's conduct are the ultimate basis for any judgment about the rightness of that conduct...
theories such as utilitarianism
Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism is an ethical theory holding that the proper course of action is the one that maximizes the overall "happiness", by whatever means necessary. It is thus a form of consequentialism, meaning that the moral worth of an action is determined only by its resulting outcome, and that one can...
. Consequentialism is sometimes confused with utilitarianism, but utilitarianism is only one member of a broad family of consequentialist theories.
Consequentialist theories usually maintain that the rightness or wrongness of an action depends on whether or not the results of the action are desirable. They are frequently contrasted to deontological theories of morality, which typically hold that certain actions are either forbidden or wrong per se.
Justifications of state
In law and political theory, a state or sovereignSovereignty
Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
is an institution that legitimates a particular government. Sometimes arguments about legitimacy have a mystical side to them, as when kings claim divine right
Divine Right of Kings
The divine right of kings or divine-right theory of kingship is a political and religious doctrine of royal and political legitimacy. It asserts that a monarch is subject to no earthly authority, deriving his right to rule directly from the will of God...
.
Different political philosophies have distinct opinions concerning the state as a domestic organization monopolizing force.
As an example, consequentialists might observe that the state builds bridges. They would ask whether those bridges would have been built in the absence of the state and whether those bridges are valued by those who use them. If the bridges would not have otherwise been built and they are valuable to those who use them, then the existence of the state is justified.
A philosopher who doubts or denies the legitimacy of the state might respond by questioning the ethical premise, saying for example that the workers who built that bridge were exploited by the government that ordered it built, and/or by the investors in the private contractors who profited. The philosopher might have a deontological theory of exploitation
Exploitation
This article discusses the term exploitation in the meaning of using something in an unjust or cruel manner.- As unjust benefit :In political economy, economics, and sociology, exploitation involves a persistent social relationship in which certain persons are being mistreated or unfairly used for...
.
Alternatively, a skeptic might concede that the bridge is a good consequence but contend that even on consequentialist grounds the argument fails. He might argue that an even better bridge might have been built under anarchist
Anarchism
Anarchism is generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful, or alternatively as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations...
conditions. This counter-argument raises the issue of opportunity cost
Opportunity cost
Opportunity cost is the cost of any activity measured in terms of the value of the best alternative that is not chosen . It is the sacrifice related to the second best choice available to someone, or group, who has picked among several mutually exclusive choices. The opportunity cost is also the...
and the whole issue becomes an exercise in economic reasoning.
See also
- ConsequentialismConsequentialismConsequentialism is the class of normative ethical theories holding that the consequences of one's conduct are the ultimate basis for any judgment about the rightness of that conduct...
- Rule according to higher lawRule according to higher lawThe rule according to a higher law means that no written law may be enforced by the government unless it conforms with certain unwritten, universal principles of fairness, morality, and justice...
- Sovereign stateSovereign stateA sovereign state, or simply, state, is a state with a defined territory on which it exercises internal and external sovereignty, a permanent population, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other sovereign states. It is also normally understood to be a state which is neither...
- The purpose of government
External links
- Reason of State An article on the historical thought regarding the justification of the state.