ABSTRACT
A modern society can be said to consist of two inherently connected parts, the state and civil society. The state is in this perspective at best seen as a necessary evil, and civil society is viewed as a largely self-regulating sphere where the good life may be reached. Civil society will presumably vary in size and other important aspects with different types of political states. The informational requirement necessary for fully rational action is seldom likely to be fulfilled in civil society - the environment is most often too complex. If civil society is clearly divided along, for example, religious, ethnic, regional or class lines, without much contact between these groups, differing and even conflicting social norms may emerge and be maintained within a given political territory. The chapter concludes that even though a number of spontaneous orders in civil society do provide essential elements of social order, they also have significant shortcomings.
