When considering civil society and government, there are number viewpoints which hold that the government is responsible for protecting the rights of its citizens. In protecting the rights of its citizens the government has a difficult task. Libertarians hold that this should be the government’s only role. Protecting citizen’s rights is only a minute part of ensuring that citizens are able to pursue happiness. Philosophers such as John Locke held that the basic premises of government should be to ensure that the citizens are secure in their pursuit of life, liberty and the protection of property. People find it difficult to thrive in society without the interaction of other people. In a civil society we have an inherent need to unite with other members of that society for the purposes of producing foods and goods and developing new technology. While we connect for these practical functions we also have a natural need for connectedness.

Civil society is made up of the dealings we have with others. The associations formed as part of civil society are wide ranging and include groups such as; families, churches, schools, clubs, frats, housing associations and neighborhood watch groups. In addition to the associations that citizens create among themselves, is commercial society. In commercial society we see groups such as trade unions, labor unions and partnerships. These associations all serve human needs in a variety of ways. From the many definitions and theories of civil society, it is clear

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That civil society may possibly be largely defined as all the natural and voluntary associations in society.

If civil society consists of all the natural and voluntary associations in society than what is government and what is its role? Government essentially oversees society and attempts to ensure that society remains civil. “The legal framework is the means by which government performs its civilizing role of transforming arrant pluralism into civil society” (Rosenblum and Post, 2002, p. 9). Thinking about the question, what is the function of government, one can not forget to point out that its loftiest duty, which is to instill, chiefly by example, the great personal natural worth that must be present in those that are to be governed. In addition to ensuring that members of society act civilly, government is held with ensuring that all its members are treated fairly. With the recent failure of the banking industry and Wall Street and the mismanagement of power in government, many see the government as nothing more than a select and elite group of people who are widening the gap between the haves and the have nots.

Understanding the proper relationship between state and civil society requires examining a number of perspectives. Among those perspectives are classic liberalism, egalitarian liberalism, critical theory, feminism, natural law theory, Judaism, Catholicism and Protestantism, Islam and Confucianism. Classic liberalism is generally concerned with the relationships between government and civil society. For the most part, classical liberalism contends that civil society should not maintain any one relationship with the state, rather it should be self-governing. Classical liberalism in its simplest form is the belief in freedom. While many citizens believed then, as is the case now that their rights are granted by the government,

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classical liberalism held that it’s just the opposite. People have natural rights and these rights are separate from the government. “The common theme in what classic liberalism proposes is that the civil society should foster voluntary associations” (Rosenblum and Post, 2002, p. 26-27). Classical liberalism is also concerned with how large government is and how much power they hold. Much of what classical liberals feared in big government have come to pass. We can see examples of this in many areas of today’s society from Katrina to the government forcing the switch from analog television to digital. Classical liberals of old must be turning in their graves as President Obama prepares to expand government. Classical liberalism contends that part of what makes society civil is its ability to do good by other members. To this end classic liberalism sees the market as a major part of civil society it contends that people want and need to do good by others. Part of that includes being able to exchange the fruits of their labor with fellow members.

“Classical liberalism strongly contends that the free market is part of what makes society civil” (Rosenblum and Post, 2002, p. 26-27). Simply put, people are inherently good and need to do good deeds. In addition to promoting the market, limited government and voluntarily association, classical liberalism believes that in order for society to remain functional it must partake in democracy. Classical liberalism goes a step further in asserting that people not just need to do good by their fellow man but they “love” doing good. While liberals are hopeful that members of a civil society will do the right thing they are also skeptical members. While liberals want to see the good in members of society, they are open to admit that members can be vicious, especially when it comes to power. Classical liberalism fears that the granting of power opens the door to corruption and abuse of those powers. Considering current affairs one would have to

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agree with classical liberalism in its assertion that power breeds corruption. From the local police to White House, corruption is rampant. Their fears are not unfounded as we can see wide spread examples of abuses of power throughout government. Separately, from its unease with equality of rights, classic liberalism has focused its efforts on drawing the line between what civil societies should be able to do versus what the government should be able to do. Classical liberalism can clearly be heard in the language of the Declaration of Independence, the federalist papers and the constitution.

In terms of boundaries classical liberals believe that there should be a clear line between state and civil society. They hold that the government should be nothing more than a refer, there simply to ensure that all the players play fair. In their view of boundaries classical liberals contend that the government should simply set the stage and then watch from backstage, simply monitoring the play ensuring that no one abuses the other in their quest to move forward. Classical liberals are skeptical of government they see government as a catch 22, meaning that society would not likely be safe without government, while at the same time, society should not think they are safe from government.

In spite of their views of government classical liberals hold that “civil society “needs” the state because only the state can provide public goods. Conversely the state needs civil society because the state is not competent as a direct producer of ordinary private goods” (Rosenblum and Post, 2002, p.32). They argue the assumption that only the state can provide public goods is false. They contend that civil society has always been able to provide whatever they needed. That is until governments intervene. Classical liberalism firmly believes that the

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only way for civil society to function independently is for government to recognize it as an equal. Without this they contend that civil society is at the will of the state. The state that they suggest has the tendency to be vicious. According to Rosenblum and Post 2002 the classical liberal perspective is that “the state needs to acknowledge that it is not “the people.” It needs to understand that there are boundaries. It needs civil society to keep it honest” (Rosenblum and Post, 2002, p.33).

An important question that often arises when discussing the role of civil society and government is what liabilities do state and civil society pose for each other. One liability we can clearly see is corruption. In order to hold the government in check civil society must be strong enough to monitor government. Another point that classical liberalism holds is that just like the state, groups of citizens or civil associations can be vicious. While classical liberals agree that civil associations or groups can be corrupt, they do not think that the corruption in these associations can rise to the level of corruption imposed by the state or the church. Classical liberalism holds that the state should treat each person as an individual. Classical liberals for the most part do not trust group rights. While classical liberals are fearful of group rights they agree that ethnic identity is an important part of civil society. Classical liberals while suspicious of group rights, agree that the government must find a medium that protects the individual members from oppression from other members of the group.

When considering citizenship classical liberals seem to be split. On the one hand they hold firmly that in order to maintain a working society we must keep government out of communities as much as possible. They contend that it is best to allow communities too freely

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form defining themselves what right and what’s wrong. On the other hand they hold that in order for a society to remain liberal it must pursue an education for their child that is founded in liberal principles. Regarding citizenship classical liberals hold tight that voluntarism is the heart of what makes a good civil society with strong citizens.

Often in society citizens or members of communities encounter conflict. Classical liberals hold that in response to these conflicts the state should keep its distance. They contend that the state should all members to work out the differences among themselves. Unsurprisingly, they hold that government should not see itself as the be all and end all. Instead they should respect communities unequivocally. Moreover, liberals hold that nothing good can come from allowing one member or a group of members to profit at the expense of others.

On the opposite end of the spectrum is Islam. Which unlike classical liberalism relies on the state and therefore can’t in practice be involved in the type of civil society that classical liberalism contends should exist? Until more recent time’s civil society has not been visible in Islam, even though, it has not been opposed to civil society or democratic norms its political regimes have not always been supportive of the notion. While civil society has not flourished in Islam the necessary conditions for its formation have not been absent. Early on the expansion of civil society in Isalm was checked by government. This caused many wanting to participate in civil society to do so by functioning as a state sponsored organization. In more recent times Islamic nations have seen a reemergence of civil society. There are a number of factors leading to the revitalization of civil society which include: more educated citizens, many of whom have received degrees from European or American institutions. The increase in educated citizens has

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caused them to start seeking out suitable ways to express themselves more accurately. Through civil society they are able to do this.

Islam in contrast to classical liberalism and other perspectives has generally place little emphasis on individual rights. While individual rights may be recognized, it is group rights that take precedence. This is most apparent in the structuring of the Islamic political system. Select groups are given special rights which place them in higher esteem than other members. These groups are supported by the government. A commonly heard of higher ranking group in the Islamic world is men. Men are held in higher esteem than women. They are essentially allowed complete control over the lives of women based on this special ranking. It is interesting to note that one of the most important aspects of group and individual rights in Islam is the belief in their religious teachings. No matter what an individual or groups status is in Islam “any individual or group-who denies the finality of the Prophet Muhammad’s message or rejects Islam for another religious community, is viewed to be apostate” (Rosenblum and Post, 2002, p.323).

Another important aspect of Islam and again in direct contrast to classical liberalism and other perspectives is the practice of exclusion. In Islam like many other perspectives the non-popular group has the tendency to get pushed out. The major difference here is that the government facilitates these practices of exclusion. In Islam group conflict and citizenship rights seem to be an ever pressing issue. The main source of conflict seems to stem from religious beliefs and traditions. In that anyone who does not agree with or speaks out against the state is systematically excluded from society.



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Considering the many perspectives as they relate to public policy one cannot help but ask the question, how does each of the perspectives respond to particular policy issues? When thinking about the Classical liberal (libertarian) perspectives, the focus on drugs and drug use and their legality comes to mind. The classical liberal perspective holds that drug use is a behavior (as opposed to a disease), based in personal values. They contend that drug use is an ethical issue. Their stance is that neither drugs nor addiction cause crime. Classical liberals take the stance that drugs are property and therefore our right to drugs as property is guaranteed by the Constitution. Classical liberals believe that legalizing drugs and utilizing a free market approach would help to reduce problems that result from drug use. Since liberals value liberty over health, they find public-health and harm-reduction approaches to be nothing more than methods used to implement the restriction of individual rights.

When considering Islam and public policy the one issue that takes the fore front is domestic violence. In Islam men are taught through the Qur’an that beating their wife if she gets out of line is the will of God. The Qur'an makes reference to wife beating as a last resort and then it strongly advises that the beatings should not be server. It advises that the husband should not beat his wife in front of his children nor should he beat her to the point that he leaves marks. Islamic laws are constructed in favor of men therefore there traditionally has been no recourse for women when they are abused by their husbands.

In conclusion there are many different perspectives which offer ways in which civil societies should function. Liberalism seems for me the easiest to grasp. I tend to agree with the liberal view with regards to rights and freedoms. I tend to agree with their view of limited

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government, voluntarily associations and decentralized power. I generally agree with the open-mindedness or tolerance liberalism stands for, as well I agree that we should be free of or not bound by traditional or conventional ideas, values and religious ideologies.