The New State
The way people speak when asked questions, the way they respond to critical inquiry, they way they tell stories, all develops out of their surroundings. Where they live, where they travel to, the people they see, and the things they discuss. But also how they discuss those things. Distinct geographies, places like London, Ottawa, Vienna, Austin, also Dakar and Sao Paolo, each possesses a political sensibility. It can appear as one type to outsiders, but to residents there are nuances, even dialects.
The advent of modern communications now entails the added development of innumerable digital global 'connurbations'. This term was first prominently used by Scottish educator and regional planner, Patrick Geedes. 'Connurbation' describes a perceptible but not completely defined area or region. He saw the city in a broader view. And so he no longer saw simply 'city'. He saw ecologies of living. Our digital hubs and networks will do similar things for society. They will help order the affairs of the day, while also allowing people to cross paths, communicate, and share. And the way we now participate in online communities is really just another half to our whole. Digital networks and posts are informatic re-directions, which ideally point us back to our other half.
This half lives in a neighbourhood. It fetches groceries. Walks. Drives. Greets. And plays. Then from political philosophy's perspective, the question concerning digital networks must first be concerned with liberty. Disregarding an older view which associated liberty with whim and desire, here we examine how liberty involves group living and consciousness. How does my participation in a plurality of groups enable and ignoble my individuality? How does this participation contribute life and vitality to my State? How can my participation assist in the State's administration? When my will is increasingly activated by conjoined citizens participating in the administration of their own affairs, then what senses of liberty among the general population will there be? Is this desirable? Why?
