Term: Statism, Nanny State - eviltoast

Statism is a political and economic ideology that views the State as a pinnacle of human evolution. The idea is that a whole is more than just a sum of its parts, therefore State has more value than any individual personality whithin it.

This stands in contrast with liberalism, which places the highest value on the individual and their freedom.

Statism justifies itself with the assertion that, in a natural state, humans exist in a perpetual “war of every man against every man,” and only the fear of inevitable punishment can restrain them.

According to this view, a strong state with centralized authority is necessary to maintain order and prevent chaos by enforcing laws and imposing penalties on those who deviate from societal norms. The state sometimes is compared to the overprotective nanny, leading to the popular term “Nanny State.”