On the Role of the State

Author: Humboldt
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1998-03-01
Features: Wilhelm von Humboldt was a renowned liberal political thinker, educator, diplomat, comparative linguist, and linguistic philosopher of modern Germany. "On the Role of the State" was originally titled "Several Ideas on Attempting to Define the Limits of the State's Role" and was written in 1792. During his youth, Humboldt was influenced by the Enlightenment but differed from his friends in Weimar who also followed the Enlightenment movement. He systematically studied how to establish society and the state, as well as how to determine and delineate the relationship between individuals and the state in reality. This book can be regarded as a manifesto challenging Prussian absolutism from the late 17th-century German Enlightenment, holding significant historical importance in the history of German political thought. It still retains recognition value for understanding the history of modern German political thought and the development of German liberalism.