Nationalism
Michael Lacewing
enquiries@alevelphilosophy.co.uk
Nation v. state
• State: political structure that is sovereign,
defining the legal rights and obligations of
citizens, and claiming a monopoly on the use
of force
• Nation: a group of people united in some
way
– States can contain more than one nation (UK?);
one nation can exist in more than one state
(Kurds)
National identity
• Nations involves ‘national identity’, normally
understood in ethnic and/or cultural terms.
• Members are born into and raised with a
particular language, tradition, and culture.
This creates a ‘national character’ and sense
of unity.
• National identity also connects to a
geographical place and historical continuity.
Nationalism
• Nationalism claims (Miller):
– that a national identity is a defensible
source of personal identity,
– that nations are ethical communities
imposing reciprocal obligations on
members which are not owed to outsiders,
and
– that nations have a good claim to be
politically self-determining
Liberty
• Nationalism can conflict with individual
liberty (esp. of minority non-nationals)
– Promotion of national culture can undermine
diversity
– Traditional national identity can conflict with
individual autonomy and creativity
• Liberal state should
– Be neutral between cultures and promote
diversity
– Promote autonomy and diversity
Positive liberty
• National self-determination is a form
of self-expression, and so (collective)
positive liberty
• Individual positive liberty involves
being able to make meaningful choices
– This requires a background of values and
meanings – culture and morality
– Liberty requires self-restraint – grounded
in communal identification
Objections
•
•
•
•
But are nations this kind of community?
Must the state adopt nationalism?
Not all nationalisms support liberty
Only a liberal national identity solves
the tension between nationalism and
liberty
Immigration
• The right to leave a state: democracy is based
on consent.
• The right to enter a state?
– There are many restrictions on freedom of movement,
e.g. private property, environmental values, national
security
• Self-determination: any group may decide who
can join
• Protection of cohesion and values
• No defence in multi-cultural states
International justice
• Can nation-states choose different
principles of justice (selfdetermination)?
• Does justice require nationals and nonnationals to be treated the same way?
– Even if special duties are owed to fellow
nationals, there will still be some duties
owed to non-nationals.
Nationalism on justice
• Global justice will undermine national
self-determination.
• Massive transfers of resources outside
the nation may undermine national
solidarity, which provide the
motivation for redistribution.
• But it is still not shown that we should
not meet non-national needs over
national interests.
Miller on global justice
• Different nations understand different things
by justice
– Goods – money, work, status, opportunity
– Principles – competition & desert, collaboration
and need
• Basic human rights necessary: conditions
needed to live minimally adequate human
life
– But relative inequality between states is not an
issue