The paper analyses whether analogies between the state/citizen relation and the parent/child relation are strong enough to explain why citizens are obliged to obey the state's imposed laws.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction to the state/citizen relation
2. Moral obligations and parental roles
3. Governmental infrastructure and political power
4. Critical analysis of the parent/child analogy
5. Conclusion on state authority
Objectives and Topics
The essay investigates whether the state occupies a parental role in relation to its citizens and examines if this analogy justifies a moral obligation to obey the law in the same way one might feel obligated to parents.
- The moral and non-contractual nature of family versus state relations.
- The concept of political obligation and the justification of state power.
- The comparison between parental duty and governmental service provision.
- The validity of the "implied contract" and "tacit consent" theories.
- Critique of state legitimacy through extreme examples of abuse and power-seeking behavior.
Excerpt from the Book
Does a state have a parental role?
A citizen’s obligation to the state and its role to obey the laws is a long-term discussion between politicians, social scientists and political activists worldwide. Discriminations, violations of human rights, war and state terror call the citizen’s obligation towards its government into question.
Nevertheless a huge majority of governments around the globe claim their legitimacy to rule the country and its citizens on a daily basis. Some administrations act and behave like supernatural parents and expect that all citizens follow and obey the official law. This idea can be derived from the following premises: (P1) The state is like our parents. (P2) What it means to be part of a family is to obey your parents. (C) Therefore, you should obey the state.
The following essay will discuss whether states have a parental role in reference to their governed inhabitants which has to be respected at all costs and if the state/citizen relation is a trustworthy analogy to a parent/child relation in terms of obeying the law. Our main aim is to show that a state is or is not sufficiently like a parent.
Each of us with a few exceptions feels a certain obligation concerning his/her parents. Our parents raised, nourished and protected us from our birth till the age of consent. Furthermore especially during our childhood and teenage our parents enforced certain laws which led partly to punishment in case we disobeyed them. Nevertheless the relation to our parents is non-contractual, that means we did not sign any contract or agreement with our parents which obliges us to do certain things or to behave in a particular manner.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction to the state/citizen relation: This section introduces the core research question regarding whether the state acts as a parental figure and establishes the logical premises for this common political claim.
2. Moral obligations and parental roles: This chapter analyzes the emotional and moral dynamics of the parent-child bond, specifically focusing on whether children have an inherent obligation of gratitude.
3. Governmental infrastructure and political power: This section examines how states use the provision of public services to justify their authority and demand conformity from citizens.
4. Critical analysis of the parent/child analogy: This chapter contrasts the benevolent nature of parental care with the often power-hungry and discriminatory nature of state regimes, using historical examples like the Holocaust.
5. Conclusion on state authority: The final section synthesizes the arguments to conclude that the parental analogy is insufficient and invalid for explaining the relationship between citizens and the state.
Keywords
Political obligation, state legitimacy, parent-child analogy, non-contractual relation, civil obedience, governmental power, moral philosophy, social contract, tacit consent, human rights, public policy, citizenship, state authority, political theory, ethics.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this academic work?
The work focuses on questioning the validity of the analogy that compares the state to a parent, specifically investigating if this justifies a citizen's moral obligation to obey the law.
Which key themes are explored in the text?
Key themes include the nature of political obligation, the comparison between familial and state relationships, the legitimacy of government power, and the ethical implications of state control.
What is the primary research question?
The primary question is whether states truly hold a parental role over their inhabitants and whether the parent/child relation serves as a reliable model for the citizen/state relationship.
Which methodology is applied?
The author uses a critical analytical approach, deconstructing the logical premises of the "state as parent" argument and comparing it against historical and practical realities of governance.
What topics are covered in the main body?
The main body covers the non-contractual nature of both family and state relations, the role of public services in state legitimacy, and the limitations of comparing democratic states to family units.
Which keywords define this paper?
The paper is characterized by terms such as political obligation, state legitimacy, social contract, civil obedience, and parental authority.
How does the author view the "implied contract" theory?
The author highlights the "implied contract" theory as a way that states justify their common law, but notes that this does not necessarily account for the power-hungry nature of certain regimes.
Why does the author use the Holocaust as an example?
The Holocaust is used as an extreme case study to show that states can act as "public enemies" rather than protectors, which fundamentally invalidates the benevolent parental analogy.
- Quote paper
- Mark-Oliver Morkos (Author), 2013, Does a state have a parental role?, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/279551
