State absolutism and the future of man: A historico-existential appraisal

Abstract

The wellbeing of man has been the rationale behind the original call for the erection of a state structure. Therefore, it calls to reason that any state whose existence hampers the well-being of man is but a sham, irrespective of the motive of the contractors. The quest and zest of the Anglo-Saxon contractarians for a state was predicated on this same germane fact. Conversely, in the later part of the modern period Hegel proposed a state that seemingly made life and existence "no longer at ease for man‟. This was manifest in the emergence of the Hegelian absolute state. This paper attempts a historico-existential analysis of the nature of man in the absolute state and it was blatant that the absolute state of Hegel was both tetchy and ludicrous as it only helped to tousle the ideal status of the individual person and debilitates man's quest for a sane and responsible future.

Key Words: Absolutiism; State; Man; Social Contract; Individual