Paper 71 Overview: Development of the State

The state is a helpful part of civilization that developed from the need to solve conflicts between competing groups. It represents society's way of creating order from the conflicts between different peoples, with modern governments having three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial.

These governments serve their people when they support personal freedom and social progress. The ideal state should help its citizens reach their potential without controlling them too much, and help them learn to work together while also respecting their individual rights.

The state is a useful development in civilization that helps to manage the ongoing competition between different groups. It came about as a way to prevent constant conflicts and represents the benefit that society gains from avoiding the suffering of war.

The modern state survived because it was the strongest form of group power. It is not a divine creation but instead developed naturally through the evolution of human society as a solution to the problem of maintaining order among competing interests.

A state is a territorial organization that works best when it includes people who share the same language, customs, and social institutions. Early states were usually formed when one group conquered another, resulting in a society with different classes of people.

The Romans had a successful state because they had a father-based family system, agriculture, cities, private property, and a strong leadership. When a state breaks down, it often returns to more primitive forms of government, such as the system of feudal castles that appeared in Europe during the Middle Ages.

Democracy is an ideal system but comes with dangers like possibly glorifying average people and allowing uninformed people to make important decisions. The best way to improve society is to educate public opinion rather than using force to make changes.

Representative government developed through several stages, starting with personal freedom and educated citizens, and eventually including things like the right to free speech, property ownership, and the right to vote. The survival of democracy depends on electing qualified people who are morally fit and intellectually prepared to lead.

The actual form of government is less important than what the government does to help civil progress, including providing liberty, security, education, and social cooperation. No state can be better than the moral values of its citizens as shown through their chosen leaders.

The ideal state works through love for others, intelligent patriotism, and understanding of the world's needs. The best states have few laws that focus on the positive growth of individual liberty, and they encourage both work and the good use of leisure time.

Economics, society, and government must change and grow to survive in an evolving world. If these areas of life stay the same without changing, they will begin to decay and fail.

A progressive civilization focuses on protecting individual freedoms, supporting families, providing economic security, preventing disease, requiring education, creating jobs for everyone, and improving the quality of its people. The highest goals of society are achieving the brotherhood of mankind and having a personal awareness of God.

Competition is essential for social progress, but unregulated competition leads to violence. In current society, competition is slowly replacing war as a way to determine a person's place in the workforce and which industries will survive.

The ideal state regulates social behavior just enough to prevent violence in competition and to ensure fairness. Early human cultures were stimulated by competition, but advanced civilizations work better through cooperation, understanding between people, and spiritual brotherhood.

The current economic system based only on profit-seeking will eventually fail unless it adds service motives. Selfish competition cannot last and goes against Christian ideals, especially the teachings of Jesus.

The profit motive in economics is like fear in religion, compared to service and love. It should not be suddenly removed, as it keeps many people working hard who might otherwise be lazy. Eventually, people must develop higher motives based on wisdom, brotherhood, and spiritual values.

Education should help people gain skills, seek wisdom, develop themselves, and understand spiritual values. In the ideal state, education continues throughout a person's life, and many citizens pursue philosophy as their main interest.

Education has progressed from being controlled by religious leaders to being run by lawyers and business people. Eventually, it should be led by philosophers and scientists who can help people understand the meaning of life and the world around them.

The only sacred feature of human government is the division into three separate functions: executive, legislative, and judicial. The universe is managed according to this same plan of separated functions and authority.

The evolution of statehood includes creating a three-branch government, ensuring freedom for social, political, and religious activities, ending slavery, establishing universal education, properly balancing local and national governments, and finally ending war through international courts. These are the signs of an ideal state that humanity is gradually working toward.