Introduction to Political Theory 117mind, his ability to reason, to discuss and to implement. In short,
men recognized the need and created the state by coming
together and agreeing to do so for their own mutual benefit.
The divine origin theory is one which comes in many different
modes. Some say that God created all: man, the family, nature,
the very universe. If all, then, is God’s creation, why would the
state be the exception? Also, there is the idea that man was
created to lead the good life according to God’s will. If this is so,
then the family is God’s creation so that man can come into the
world and be nurtured. The church is God’s creation to teach man
about how to live the good life in a spiritual sense. The state is
God’s creation also, to help man live the good life in a material
sense. All three entities have their origin in a divine plan, and to
that extent each is of a divine origin. In the middle ages this
concept was extended to include the ruler as God’s representa
tive. If the state was a divine creation, the head of the state must
have some divine sanction. Thus the theory of the divine right of
kings came into being. Usually, however, adherents of this
theory contend that the state is of divine origin because it is part
of the divine plan for man.
The organic theory is based closely on concepts of natural
law. Aristotle said, “Man is, by nature, a political animal.” Thus,
the idea that man is bom into the state, that the state is as natural
as the family, is the basis for this theory. To drive home this idea
that the state is a natural institution, into which all men are born
and within which they must exist, Aristotle said, “For a man to
live alone, he must be either a beast or a god.” To the adherents
of the organic theory, then, the state is as natural to man as is the
need for food, water, clothing, and shelter. Just as man cannot
exist without food, clothing, and shelter, so also he cannot live
without other men within the context of the state. The implica
tions of this theory are important for understanding concepts of
authority, the relation of the citizen and the state, the theory of
revolution, the rights of an individual in relation to the group, and
man’s role within the state.
There is one other theory of the origin of the state— the
organismic theory. Often this theory is considered to be essen
tially the same as the organic theory. There are, however,
differences which are not only essential, but have grave implica
tions for how the state will function. While there are similarities