Jan 17, 2009
Society vs. State
“Society is about the quality of human relationships within families and communities. It is local, small-scale, inter-personal. It has a human face. The state is central, impersonal. It levies taxes, it provides services, but there is nothing voluntary about its operation. It uses power, not goodwill. So if the state grows at the cost of civil society, something is lost. When taxes replace generosity, and social workers replace caring neighbors, a dimension of social life atrophies and wanes. Instead of individuals being linked horizontally to one another in bonds of reciprocal responsibility, they are linked vertically to the state. They become passive recipients instead of active citizens. And though there are many gains – equality of provision, consistency, reliability – there is also a loss. The fabric of community wears thin.”
— The Home We Build Together: Recreating Society, 128.
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