Freedom and the State

Everywhere I turn, people on the left and right are constantly calling for action by the government on this issue or that. Values, health care, education, the environment - it's never ending. These calls are much more common from the left or so called "progressives" and I almost always have a reflexively negative reaction against these admonitions for government action while agreeing that many of the outcomes they seek to achieve are worthy. In this post, I will discuss the importance of the sovereignty of the individual, the basic conflict that exists between the notion of individual freedom and the very existence of the "state", and finally, the importance of civic society.

The philosophical foundation of democracy is "individual sovereignty". It holds that the individual is paramount in society. The power of the government is given to the state by the individual - not granted to the individual by government. The powers given to the government are explicit and limited. All remaining domains of life are the province of the individual. The individual is free to act in these areas as he/she sees fit. This very notion was a break from the historic relationship between people and their governments. Formerly, the individual was a 'subject' of the government and, as such, was always subordinate to it. It's important to note that this shift to individual sovereignty very neatly coincided with the burst of innovation, prosperity and liberty that has marked the past several hundred years of human history. Once individuals were free to own property and act as they saw fit in service to their own interests as they defined them, an avalanche of creative activity followed. This fundamental shift in the human condition and organization of society has given individuals a much greater stake in the world around them and hence they have behaved in ways that care for their interests and assets.

Another phenomena that has also marked the development of western style democracy is the rise of "civic society". In a community where the role of government is limited, many additional issues remain to be addressed collectively. Western democracies are teeming with these organizations. Consider the PTA, children's sports leagues, the NRA, Kiwanis clubs, Alcoholics Anonymous - there are literally thousands of non-governmental organizations that enrich our society and allow for collective action. These associations with like-minded people who share interests and commitments form without any intervention by the state. Even more interesting is their reliance (usually) on democractic principles and a set of published rules, mimicking the organization of the state. This provides an insight into the agreement by most people that democracy and the rule of law (not personality or power) are effective structures for making society work. Finally, another important aspect of civic society is that it reinforces the notion that people are responsible for society - not the state. That one's first instinct is and should be "what can I do to address this problem?", not "what can the government do?".

It is axiomatic that ones freedom is reduced by each privilege one gives up to the state. Given that laws are backed by the use of force by the state (whether to take your property, freedom or life), ones freedom is degraded in significant ways when the state is given power in any area of society. Just consider what it takes to start a business or build a home in New York city and the ways in which the state impinges on your freedom become remarkably clear. The problem is that it does what it does coercively. And as a result, we are less free in those areas where we give government control. More importantly, the more we have the government do, the more we expect it to do. In this way, the growth of the state inevitably suppresses the creative spirit of the individual, resulting in the stultification of society.

I believe there is some kind of 'tipping point' where the amount of power that we grant to government causes a degradation of civic society. Countries such as France have seen a great decline in civic society and have much social unrest as it's citizens look to the government for solutions to seemingly intractable problems. Given this derivative, but crucial impact, I think it's the responsibility of individuals in a free society to look to government last - not first - to meet our needs and desires. Or we risk giving up the very prosperity and freedom which we sought by forming modern democracies.