ABSTRACT
The theory of the common good and the general will, the idea of the unity of a group co-operating for a common purpose, and the psychological facts of corporate loyalty and sympathy—all these have no special political reference. The first theory of the relation of the State to other associations may be called Abstract Monism. It regards the existence of other associations as a sign that the State is lacking in unity, and its practical corollary is their suppression, by force if necessary. The second is Concrete Monism. The third view admits the necessity of the other associations and regards the State as a particular association with no superior value or status. The weakness of Corporative State is its incompleteness and its compromise character. There is one particular claim for freedom which associations have made which must be separately considered. The conflict of Church and State over ethical standards is therefore one so unusual as to offer no serious difficulty.
