Individual, State and Society
This essay shall critically comment on two quotations.
The first quote is by Margaret Thatcher who said: “There is no such thing as society, only individuals and their families” and the second quote is by David Cameron who said: “There is such thing as society: it’s just not the same as the state”
To critically comment on these quotes that were stated in a political setting, references shall be made to the political ideologies the subjects held and the context they appeared in will be analyzed.
Additionally different political basic ideologies will be named and outlined to give a broader understanding and contrast in the analysis. Furthermore, Plato’s The Republic (360BC) and existentialist Jose Ortega’s Man and People, (1957), shall attempt to lend their wisdom from their philosophical works, to shed some light and give meaning on the complexity of these two quotes. For clarity British conservatism’s history will be looked at closely.
Terms Individual, Society and State are briefly defined now.
An individual is generally speaking a person separate from others, with his/her own needs, values and desires. The word originates from Latin in-dividuus, meaning indivisible, referring to a single human being, separate from a group.
A society is made up by a collection of individuals. The etymology of the word originates in Latin societas, derived from socius which translates as comrade, friend or ally, indicating relations. It can for instance be such as a group of people, subject to law and political authority, or a group of like-minded people, sharing the same norms and values. Often, therefore, societies are formed, such as medical-, esoteric- or literary- for example. The word society always refers to relations between people - they may share a certain culture, territory, economic, political or social structure.
The state can be called an organized, a political community under government: a sovereign state is a public, political entity, recognized
The first quote is by Margaret Thatcher who said: “There is no such thing as society, only individuals and their families” and the second quote is by David Cameron who said: “There is such thing as society: it’s just not the same as the state”
To critically comment on these quotes that were stated in a political setting, references shall be made to the political ideologies the subjects held and the context they appeared in will be analyzed.
Additionally different political basic ideologies will be named and outlined to give a broader understanding and contrast in the analysis. Furthermore, Plato’s The Republic (360BC) and existentialist Jose Ortega’s Man and People, (1957), shall attempt to lend their wisdom from their philosophical works, to shed some light and give meaning on the complexity of these two quotes. For clarity British conservatism’s history will be looked at closely.
Terms Individual, Society and State are briefly defined now.
An individual is generally speaking a person separate from others, with his/her own needs, values and desires. The word originates from Latin in-dividuus, meaning indivisible, referring to a single human being, separate from a group.
A society is made up by a collection of individuals. The etymology of the word originates in Latin societas, derived from socius which translates as comrade, friend or ally, indicating relations. It can for instance be such as a group of people, subject to law and political authority, or a group of like-minded people, sharing the same norms and values. Often, therefore, societies are formed, such as medical-, esoteric- or literary- for example. The word society always refers to relations between people - they may share a certain culture, territory, economic, political or social structure.
The state can be called an organized, a political community under government: a sovereign state is a public, political entity, recognized