great thinkers, great ideas

CHAPTER 14

Problems of Government:

Five Great Issues

Living in a state, as with living in a family, poses many

problems, and these problems have been the subject of political

philosophy ever since men began to think seriously about the

state. The problems that arise which governments must attempt

to solve can be numbered in the hundreds, if not thousands. And

these problems are constantly changing, evolving; often the

solution of one problem results in the creation of others.

In 1954, Leslie Lipson of the University of California, pub­

lished a text called The Great Issues o f Politics. The text covered

the traditional subject matter of political theory; in addition, he

devoted ten of the fifteen chapters to an in-depth discussion of

five issues that he maintains are basic to all governments. These

five areas, into which all the many particular problems can be

generally placed, are:

Elitism vs Egalitarianism

Monism vs Pluralism

Freedom vs Authority

Dispersion of Powers vs Concentration of Powers

Small State vs Large State

While the issues are stated in terms of extremes, they are in
fact, usually problems of degree—more freedom, less authority;
more authority, less freedom. Also, there is a great deal of
overlapping; these issues are often connected and interacting—
they are not separate, static, and isolated. And while the issues
are not “black or white,” governments must make conscious
decisions as to which of the alternatives meets the demands of
their philosophical premises and can most probably achieve the
desired goals. Like Alice in Wonderland, governments must
decide which path to take and make the judgments as to why that
path is best.

127