Civil Society December 16 2019 Civil society lecture

Civil Society December 16, 2019

Civil society lecture (ERASMUS) Niall Ferguson: The Rule of Law and its Enemies 4 10 JUL 2012 (Civil society) • http: //www. bbc. co. uk/podcasts/series/rla 76/ all

Rudolf Steiner The well-being of a community of people working together will be the greater, the less the individual claims for himself the proceeds of his work, i. e. the more of these proceeds he makes over to his fellow-workers, the more his own needs are satisfied, not out of his own work but of the work done by others’.

What, in fact, is a civil society? In the most general terms, we could perhaps describe it as a society in which citizens participate - in many parallel, mutually complementary ways - in public life, in the administration of public goods and in public decisions. The extent, the manner and the institutional form of this participation depend predominantly on the participants, on their initiative and imagination, even though these are naturally exercised within a certain legal framework. Thus, it is a society that not only gives wide latitude for both individual and group creativity as an important component of public activity, but is directly founded on such creativity. The functions of the state and of its structures in such a society are limited only to that which cannot be performed by anyone else, such as legislation, national defence and security, the enforcement of justice, etc.

Three basic pillars. The first pillar is one of association in organizations in order to accomplish things that a group can do better than an individual. This is an authentic self-structuring of the society emanates from interests other than those linked directly with business or material profit; and that the state, as a representative of the entire society, supports such an association and offers advantageous conditions for its operation. • That increase legitimacy and most of these not-for-profit activities do not serve only those who take part in them, but bring a wider benefit that can be, in one way or another, enjoyed by everyone.

Three basic pillars. The second pillar of civil society is constituted by a strong self- government within the system of public administration. This means that citizens elect not only the members of the central representative bodies, but also their representatives in the self-governing bodies of municipalities and regions and that these lower representative bodies have substantial jurisdictions and funds of their own. All that which does not have to be decided at the central level, or within the hierarchy of state administration, is decided by the elected representatives of the people at lower levels.

Three basic pillars. The state has social responsibilities in the domain of solidarity, laid down by the law - we could even say that these functions constitute one of the reasons for its existence. This includes responsibilities in the fields of social welfare, public health, education or protection of the environment. Yet, the state's role as the guarantor of such functions does not mean that the state must be the only one to directly perform them. The state is usually neither a good doctor nor a good teacher.

Pluralism Civil society generates genuine pluralism, and pluralism leading to competition - produces quality. In this respect, there is a similarity between the economy and public life in general. The more different initiatives, grown freely from grass roots and independent of one another, operate in any particular sphere of public life, the greater is the chance that the best and most inventive one emerges from their free competition. To rely on the capability of the central state authorities or of central political bodies to always decide beforehand what is best, and what needs to be done and how, means to identify power with truth and to grant power a patent on reason.

Amortization of Changes Civil society protects citizens from being excessively affected by changes at the center of political power. It absorbs, at lower levels, some of the effects of such changes, attenuates them or even disposes of them. Where civil society is not sufficiently developed every problem that occurs at the political center filters down into the everyday lives of the citizens, while many a problem of the citizens filters up to the center of power that, therefore, deals with matters which it would not have to deal with otherwise - at the expense of matters which are its responsibility. Consequently, civil society is the best safeguard, not only against political chaos but also against the rise of authoritarian forces that always emerge whenever a society feels shaken or insecure about its future. The more power is left at the center the more favorable are the conditions for such forces to gain control over the country. Communists knew very well why they needed to dominate and manipulate every bee-keepers' association.

Rational economic reasoning I do not think that one needs to be a great economist or arithmetician to discover that civil society pays off. When things are paid for by the state budget, more money must be collected in taxes and substantial sums are lost on the way up and again on the way down, being consumed by the mechanisms for such transfers. In a system that allows tax deductions, publicly beneficial initiatives get more money than they would get if the same amounts were collected as taxes. Furthermore, a shorter, more straightforward link between the contributor and the purpose for which he contributes allows for closer scrutiny of how the money is spent, thus reducing the danger of mismanagement. Not to mention the incalculable economic value of pluralism, strengthened by a decentralized pattern of redistribution. In addition, a concrete donor is much better equipped to discern the structure of public needs in an area of his or her specific interest than this can ever be done by even the best civil servant at some ministry

Authonomy and Responsibility Civil society enables people to realize themselves truly and entirely as the beings that they potentially are, that is, as the species called zoon politicon, or social animal. Human beings are not only manufacturers, profit-makers or consumers. A human being is intrinsically disposed not to be indifferent towards fellow humans and towards society. People desire to be appreciated for that which they give to the environment around them. Humanity constitutes a subject of conscience, of moral order, of love for our fellow humans. Civil society is one of the ways in which our human nature can be exercised in its entirety, including its more subtle elements, which are more difficult to grasp, but are perhaps the most important of all.