ThGr

een'
stheor
yofpol
i
tical
obl
i
gat
ion

Thepr obl
em rel
atingtopolit
icalobligati
onisoneoft hemostf undamental,pr
ominentand
disputedi
ssueofpol it
icalt
hought .Itseekstoanswert hequesti
onthathowf arandwhyan
i
ndividuali
sobili
zedt oobeythel awsandcommandsoft hestat
e.Thereisnounanimityonthi
s
i
ssueamongpol it
icalphil
osopher s.Diff
erentpoli
ti
calphil
osophershav
et akendi
ffer
ent
positi
onsonthisissue.Green'sv i
ewonpol it
ical
obli
gationisamixofideali
sti
ctr
aditi
onwith
thatofli
beral
traditi
onofEngl and.

Greeni sfamousf orhissay i

ngt hat"Wil
l notforcei sthebasisofst at
e."Theor i
ginofst ateand
sovereigntyi snotf orce.Ther ealsustai
ni ngpoweroft hestateistheGener alWi l
l,whicht r
uly
representst hewhol ecommuni ty.RealWi lli
sthecont ribut
ingpartoftheGener alWil
l.Real wil
l
i
st hatpartofi ndiv idual
'
swi l
lwhi chalway swi l
lsandt hinksintermsoft hebesti nter
estoft he
stateandsoci ety.Gener alwil
l i
sacombi nationofal lrealwil
l
sofi ndi
vidual s,butisfarmor e
power fult
hant hesummat i
onofal lthereal will
.Itisa" CommonMe. "Itf ostersasenseof
belongingnesst ot hestatewhi ch,i
nt ur
n, generatespat ri
oti
cfeeli
ngofl oy alt
ytowar dst he
state.
Thisf eelingofl oyalt
yandl ov etowar dsthest at
epr omot esthewilful obediencewhi ch
Greencal l
st hehabi tualobedi
enceandl oy alobedience.Iti
sthemosti mpor tantbasisoft he
State.Iti
st hemosti mportantbondbet weeni ndivi
dual andthestate.

Green'sconceptofpol i
ti
cal obl
igat
ionisbasedont heconceptof" commongood. "Her egards
societyasapi votofcommongood.Thest at
emakesi tpossi
bleforindiv
idual
stor eal
iseagood
thatiscommongood.Onl ythroughtheconsciousnessofcommongoodandpur suanceofi t
mancanat t
ainhismor al perf
ecti
on.Thestateisameanst oatt
endt hisi
ndivi
dual moral
perfecti
onorsel f
-real
i
sation.Hence,suchast at
eshoul dbeobeyedal ongwithit
sl aws.Gr een
arguesthatthest atei
tselfisboundtopromot ecommongoodasconcei vedbyt hecit
izen, and
thattheindi
vidual i
sobil
izedtoobeyt hestat
eandi tscommandswhi chpr omotecommongood.

Iftheindi
vi
dual
sthi
nkt
hattheywi
l
lserv
et hecommongoodbydef yi
nganycommandoft
he
state,
thei
rpoli
ti
cal
obl
i
gati
ondoesnotpreventt
hem f
rom suchdef
iance.

Thest at
ei stobeobey edbecausei thelpsi nt her eali
sationoft he" MoralFreedom" .Theobj ect
ofthestat eisfreedom.Tohi mf r
eedom i nposi tive,spiri
tualandpur esensest andsf ort he
tendencyf orobjectofreasonandobj ectofwi lltwocoi ncide.I tisast ateofmi ndi nwhi chthe
wholemanhasf oundhisobject.Anothergr oundofpol iti
calobl igati
oni sthatstatehel ps
i
ndividual member si
nthelif
eofsel f-
realisationbypr ovidingt hem wi t
hthesy stem ofi mpartial
anduni versalr
ights.ToGreenr ightsaret heout ercondi ti
onsnecessar yforman' sinner
development .Mosti mportantrightofev eryindi vi
dual andr ational personi stherighttobecome
whatamanshoul dbe-"whathehasi tinhi mt obe. "Otherright sar ederivedfrom t hi
sr i
ght.To
him,ther ealbasisoftherightsar enotmer elylegal recognitionbutt hecommonmor al
consciousness.Pr imarypurposeoft hest at eist oenf orceright sev enbycompul sion,if
necessar y.St
atei stobeobey edont hegr oundofser vi
ceswhi chi trendersinrelationtot he
maintenanceofi dealr
ight
st hroughitslaws.
Green,
contrar
ytotheGer manidealist
s, sancti
onstheciti
zentherighttoresi
stthest at
eandits
commands.Theycanr esi
stonlyont hegr oundofinter
estofthest at
e,i
.e.,
tocompel t
hestat
e
tomakelawsi nconformityt
ot heGener alWillandgeneralwelf
are.Howev er,
therighttoresi
st
i
sacondi t
ionalri
ght
.Thecondi ti
onsar e,fi
rstl
y,youshouldmakesur ethatadef i
nit
esocial
goodisobtainedthr
oughsuccessf ulopposi t
ionandsecond,itmustbebackedbyt hesupport
ofthesubstanti
alpartofthefell
owci t
izensoft hestat
e.