GUIDE TO THE PHILOSOPHY 1938 - 1947.pdf - Rare Books at ...

ETHICS AND POLITICS: THE MODERNS
life, extends also to the making of his own contracts and the
of his own relations with other individuals. Freedom
forming
of contract is in a democratic State universally conceded,
and this freedom finds concrete expression in the formation
of numerous associations of individuals for non-poKtical
purposes which have no necessary relationship to the State.
These associations are mainly of two kinds; associations
of individuals for economic purposes, and associations of
individuals for ethical purposes. They may, like the Roman
Catholic Church, be of world-wide extent, embracing
citizens of many States, or they may lie wholly within
the boundaries ofone particular State. In no case, however,
do they contain all the inhabitants of one local territorial
division. Having for their object either the production of
wealth or the promotion of ethical or religious views, they
include a large part of the desires and interests which
go to make up the individual's life. Before the War, and
in democratic societies since the War, these voluntary
associations were tending to squeeze the State out of
the life ofthe ordinary man to such an extent that by far the
largest part of his social activities were carried on within the
bounds of associations non-coterminous with the State.
The State, in feet, only entered into the life of the ordinary
man when he had to pay taxes, serve on ajury or vote. These
associations cutting, as they do, right across the boundaries
of the Nation-State have begun profoundly to modify
its structure, and present in the possibilities of their ultimate
development an alternative to the totalitarian Nation-
State envisaged by idealist theory. Hegel, indeed, recognizes
the existence of voluntary associations, as he cannot help
but do, and concedes that loyalty to them is a good which
may not be incompatible with a man's overriding allegiance
to the State; but by Hegel's followers a man's loyalties
to other institutions, when recognised at all, are dismissed
as being of negligible importance, and Dr. Bosanquet,
as we have seen, 1 looks forward to a time when they
will disappear altogether.
1 See Chapter XV, p. 593.