On Anarchy, Sovereignty, and the State
On Anarchy, Sovereignty, and the State The title, I suspect, may cause some confusion. How the three terms may be related, one might wonder. During the course of a deliberation on 'Politics and Governance', while attending the YLAC's (Young Leaders for Active Citizenship) High School Achievers Program, the discussion steered towards anarchism and the requirement of a government. Hence, this write-up; an endeavor to clarify the relationship. Firstly, a few definitions are in order. Anarchy. It is a state of 'chaos' to put it crudely. Man roams freely with absolute liberty to do as he pleases. There is no administrative or policing authority to restrict his liberty in any manner, nor any laws for him to live by. Anarchy is described by the English philosopher Thomas Hobbes as 'the state of nature', with no societal organisat ion whatsoever. Sovereignty. The basic meaning implied by this term is that of independence. In an anarchy, each man is sov...