Civil society
Civil society is a term that has been defined to describe a tonne of ideas from the historical perspective and also in the current times. Civil society according to sievers (2010) is used to define a mediating monarchy between one of a state and an individual, the many worldwide nonprofit associations and the philanthropy, the networking of the NonGovernmental Organizations, the social relations of common respect and the list is endless (Sievers, pg1). Civil society has also been described to mean the features of the social life networking, the norms and also the trust which allows participants to work as a team and effectively to pursue the same objectives (Danoff, pg22). In the Islamic world, most of them view civil society as being inclined so much to the group or individual feeling and the religion. This describes that civil society is associated with the leader having the power and the society gains stability when the community is brought together by kinship and the common descent and also the connection involving the allies and the clients (Enjolras and Karl, pg148). Defining the seven key concepts of the civil society, various ideologies are observed in defining these seven concepts.
The seven concepts individually as presented are complex in their rights and also have their own theoretical validations. Four of these concepts reflect the institutional configuration which has evolved over the course of western history to become the structural outline of the current modern society. Among these four concepts, mainly the legal institutions and the philanthropic, have been there over the past two millennia, while the remaining two have only evolved in eras after, a system of free phrase and the private associations. The remaining three concepts have been found to reflect the social norms which appeared in a sequence through a developmental process which has taken a period to form (Sievers, pg2). These seven concepts in depth are philanthropic, the rule of law, tolerance, free expression, individual rights, the nonprofit and voluntary institutions, and the common good.
Relationship between the definition of civil society and these seven concepts is an argument of themes. Modern society is defined much larger by these seven concepts. These seven concepts serve as the foundational and institutional elements and also the key norms which have allowed the civil society to be a major stronghold after the sixteenth century by forming a platform of the democratic liberal state (Sievers, pg9). Institutional elements which comprise the composition of civil society which are the organized philanthropy, private institutions, the rule of law and the method of free expression are in most cases the primary freeways outside the state by which citizens interact and also collaborate in achieving a common purpose. The normative elements tolerances, commitment to the common good and individual rights are the values that are animating these institutions (Sievers, pg5).
The civil society through this approach is a single social construct which comprises of both the institutions and the norms which have evolved from the historical perspective through the seven concepts. Combining the seven concepts in defining the term civil society, the definition can be much broader in meaning and understanding. Thus civil society can be defined as the arena that is outside the government, the family, and also the market where the citizens voluntarily come together to advance a common interest based on the civility. These seven constitutive elements reinforce and therefore complement each other in the maneuver of civil society (Sievers, pg5).
From a historical perspective, the rule of law is the most important institutional element that mostly involved fighting for the rights of the common citizen who had no voice in the government. In the United States, individuals were persecuted just because of talking out their mind.
Oppression was observed where people like the Peter Zenger in the early seventeenth century were prosecuted since he had corrected the government of New York City. The rule of law by then was one that restricted any criticism to the government officials whether for a good or bad course. Zenger was however not persecuted for his utterance since the jury disregarded the law for the first time and this act demanded a change of the law. Freedom of speech was now demanded by many citizens in the United States as an individual right to express their minds. During this time, the first constitutional amendments were observed where debates erupted all over the United States land for an adoption of a new constitution which did not undermine the speech of individuals. From this debate, the federal government had limited power on the bill of rights and this raised concerns all over. Preservation of individual rights was also observed which an important consideration in upholding civil society rights is. This is so since a system of free expression needs legally endorsed individual rights and also tolerating the diversity of views from one individual to another (Sievers, pg6).
The rule of law is the fundamental requirement for the formation of stability and peace in any community or government body. It is, therefore, the establishment which stands as an ancient feature in upholding civil rights as well as individual rights of the society. The law was considered to be the guiding rules which were generated and enforced by the law enforcement bodies such as the police in the pursuit of a common good. This framework formed the foundation of the historically advanced and new phenomenon of the constitutional law. An individual right was embedded in a rather long historical evolution of ideas which includes the development of law and also the concept involving the allocation of goods. Individual right now formed the cornerstone for defense and a broad framework of the social contract theory that positioned individuals right’s as the new body for social cooperation actions (Sievers, pg6).
From the current perspective, the most important concept in preserving the rights and philanthropic actions of today is the free expression concept. Free expression means an open society for an open mind that helps in upholding the social life since time in history. It is the current element that has allowed freedom to speak open minded to the public forum without fear of being persecuted for the wrong cause (Sievers, pg9). Following democratic ideas has been the most stunning outcome where individuals have had a public vote in general. Free expression has however had difficulties with influential individuals using the forum to criticize the royal government and the public at large. The world modern media was born as a result thereby forcing the government to come in and rescue the new network of communication that had just erupted ever since (Danoff, pg33). Regulations have been clearly stipulated in the constitutions on how to manage the publications by individuals for a cohesive environment.
Works cited
Sievers, Bruce R. Civil Society, Philanthropy, and the Fate of the Commons. Medford, Mass: Tufts University Press, 2010. Print.
Danoff, Brian. Educating Democracy: Alexis De Tocqueville and Leadership in America. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2010. Internet resource.
Enjolras, Bernard, and Karl H. Sivesind. Civil Society in Comparative Perspective. Bingley, UK: Emerald, 2009. Print.
