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Ha. I've been thinking about these sorts of problems and I'm leaning towards the idea that while governments are legitimate (groups of people pooling resources
by Jwarder 7y ago
Ha. I've been thinking about these sorts of problems and I'm leaning towards the idea that while governments are legitimate (groups of people pooling resources to achieve communal goals with some degree of compromise) most citizens are not legitimate (for lack of a better word). I was born in the US so I get all these rights, benefits, and obligations with no choice. From that viewpoint are immigrants the only "true" citizens of a nation because they actively choose to be a part of it?
- petermcneeley 7y agoI really like where your going with this but if you go a bit deeper you will see that those born in the US have the same choice as those born outside.
- danans 7y ago> From that viewpoint are immigrants the only "true" citizens of a nation because they actively choose to be a part of it? The criteria for citizenship have varied a lot over time, and usually have to do with the economic or identity system of the country. For example , when the US was an agrarian society, African slaves could not be citizens, because doing so would undermine the economic system underpinned by slavery. Today, some middle eastern countries have religious requirements for immigrants to become citizens. The modern concept of a citizen (vs a subject) is itself only a few hundred years old. So I'm not sure if there is a "true" definition of a citizen, in any morally defensible way.