Defining State and Society Definitions Can Shift Dramatically
Depending on the Theoretical Approach of the Speaker APRIL 01,
1998 by WENDY MCELROY Two of the most important concepts in any
discussion of liberty are state and society. But it is often far
from clear what any given person means by those terms. Part of
the confusion stems from the fact that the definitions can shift
dramatically depending upon the theoretical approach of the
speaker. Virtually all individualists agree that there is some
distinction to be drawn between a state and a society. But
exactly where the line should be drawn has been the subject of
active debate, at least since the writings of the seventeenth-
century English classical liberal John Locke. The German
sociologist Franz Oppenheimer spearheaded an analysis of these
key terms in his classic work, The State (1914). Oppenheimer
defined the state as “that summation of privileges and
dominating positions which are brought into being by extra-
economic power.” He defined society as “