Political Thought: State, Society, and Ideal Systems

Foundations of Society and the State

Core Functions of Society

Every society performs three fundamental functions: political, economic, and cultural.

Defining the State

The state can be defined as a political organization that:

• Divides society into rulers and ruled.
• Is linked to a specific community (nationals and foreigners).
• Is coupled with an established border territory.
• Possesses an economic system (e.g., ownership of property).
• Governs relations between people (e.g., types of family associations).
• Operates as a legal system backed by the legitimate use of force.

Plato's Innate Drives and Societal Needs

According to Plato, humans coexist with three types of innate drives:

• Concupiscible: For the pleasure of the senses.
• Irascible: Encourages heroic action and the pursuit of honor.
• Rational: Pushes us to achieve knowledge of reality.

Every society also has three essential needs: economic, defense, and governance. Plato linked these: concupiscent individuals are associated with economic roles, irascible individuals with the defense of the polis, and rational individuals with government.

Visions of Ideal Societies: Utopian Thought

The Concept of Utopia

Utopia is the description of an ideal society, one which has not yet been realized but is aspired to. This concept established principles of legitimation, critical analysis, and guiding principles for political practice.

Historical Utopian Thinkers

Thomas More's Utopia

Thomas More's Utopia describes a perfect society characterized by moderate hedonism, Christian humanism, community property, religious tolerance, a rejection of greed and money, and the exclusion of atheists.

Tommaso Campanella's Vision

Tommaso Campanella envisioned a society organized around communal living, including shared houses, bedrooms, beds, and all necessities, all under the figure of the Pope.

Francis Bacon's Foresight

Francis Bacon anticipated technological advances that would facilitate human existence.

Historical Perspectives on State and Power

Augustine of Hippo: Church and State

Augustine of Hippo addressed the problem of church-state relations. He spoke of good and evil men, of heavenly and earthly cities, advocating for the state's subjection to the church for true justice.

Thomas Aquinas: State Autonomy

Thomas Aquinas recognized state autonomy and authority in matters of natural morality, while acknowledging the supernatural morality of the church.

Machiavelli: Realpolitik and Human Nature

Machiavelli argued that the state is not equivalent to divine justice. He believed that men are inherently selfish and that human nature is constant over time. He contended that one should not design a state based on the assumption of good men, but rather acknowledge the existence of bad men and the human desire for power at all costs.

Modern Political Theories and Systems

Contractarianism: The Social Pact

Contractarianism interprets society as the result of a pact that establishes the legitimacy of the state system.

Anarchism: Rejecting State Coercion

For anarchism, the state is ineffective and completely immoral, as it imposes undue coercion. Society, instead, should be organized through spontaneous and free associations.

Contrasting Views on Utopia: Bloch vs. Popper

For Bloch, utopia is born of the need to realize theoretical human hope in a political project that aspires to a finally humanized world. In contrast, for Popper, utopia is the tyranny of any ideological alibi, supported by a triple error: epistemological, metaphysical, and ethical.

Democracy: Government by the People

Democracy is government of the people. It can be direct or representative; in the latter case, it should promote mechanisms for deliberation and public participation.

Totalitarianism: Centralized Control

Totalitarianism is a political regime that exerts strong intervention in all spheres of national life, concentrating all state powers in the hands of a single group or party that does not allow the actions of other parties.