Idndividual vs State

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Freedoms of choice and self-determination have become key features of life that are largely viewed in Western Europe as natural rights. However, in light of the present global recession, it can be contemplated if greater state control in present liberal democracies is necessary to ensure the survival of the state. Whilst some may believe that the individual should remain the main priority, a liberal society increases inequality and widens the class gap which continues to suppress the poor. If the focus is primarily on the individual then, overall, society may suffer more than if it were state-driven. The individual versus the state has been long disputed within many fields in academia. From psychology to sociology and literature to theology, individualism is contrasted and debated upon, whereby many seek to draw lines and take a side. The level of importance of the individual can be investigated from small family and friend relationships to the society and nation. As such, dominant political ideologies, such as Liberalism and Socialism, are primarily the focus, taken from the view point of society within this study. An ideology is defined as “any comprehensive and mutually consistent set of ideas by which a social group makes sense of the world” (McLean & McMillan, 2009, p. 255). Heywood (2007) believed that they “in some way guides or inspires political actions.” One of the oldest forms of ideologies is liberalism, which has its formation intrinsically linked with the breakdown of feudalism (Heywood, 2007, p. 45-46). This is the main ideology followed by western states (Axford, et al, 2002, p. 256) and has since expressed that the individual is the most important aspect of any society. Thus, the individual should be given... ... middle of paper ... ...ce [Accessed 14 February, 2011]. Elliot, L. (2011) Budget will cost 1.3m jobs – Treasury. [Online] http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/jun/29/budget-job-losses-unemployment-austerity [Accessed 02 March, 2011] Heywood, A. (2007) Politics. 3rd edition. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Held, D. (1989) Political Theory and the Modern State: Essays on State, Power and Democracy. Cambridge: Polity Press. Hobbes, T. (1660) Leviathan. [Online] http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/phl302/texts/ hobbes/leviathan-contents.html [Accessed 02 March, 2011] Lipsey, R. G., Chrystal, K. A. (2007) Economics. 11th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Mclean, I. & MacMillan, A. (eds.) (2009) The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Politics. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Wolff, J. (2006) An Introduction to Political Philosophy Revised Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

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