ABAC Today, October 1999

Assoc. Prof. Dr. David K. Ambuel, a 1999-2000 Fulbright scholar in philosophy from the department of Classics, Philosophy, and Religion, Mary Washington College, Fredericksburg, Virginia, U.S.A. delivered a special lecture on the above topic on October 29, 1999 at the Multimedia Room of Assumption Building. The meeting was sponsored by the Graduate School of Philosophy and Religious Studies and the following are the highlights of his lecture which was followed by a lively exchange of questions and answers.

What is Civil Society?
It is an ambiguous term. However, it may be defined both empirically and normatively.
Empirical Definitions of Civil Society.
1. The collection of all groups and associations in a state that are independent of state governmental control, are formed and act freely, in accordance with goals set by the members of those associations.
2. The collection of all free and independent associations in a state, in which the acts of those associations are sufficient to structure a stable society, apart from any regulation or control imposed by state powers.
3. The collection of all free and independent associations in a state in which those associations have significant influence over the direction and decisions of state policy making mechanisms
Normative Definitions of Civil Society.
1. the Collection of all free and independent association in a state, insofar as those associations impose a limit on state power and thereby secure the liberties and rights of individuals.
2. The collection of all free and independent association in a state, insofar as those associations are a source of moral norms, civic virtue, and mutual respect.
Civil Society as a Contingent, Historical Development in Europe.
- No model for state/society distinction in Greek political thought.
- Medieval Christianity and the concept of two societies in one world.
- Rise of absolutism and centralized power.
- Development of Civil Society and the sphere of public opinion in 18th and 19th centuries.