Lemoine, Maël
Remarks on Metaphor of the Organism in Politics: The Principles of the Philosophy of Law and Moral and Religious Sources
- 2001.
32
Popper wrote that Hegel, as a thinker, is a forerunner of totalitarianism; on the other hand, one cannot but regard Bergson as a true republican and democrat. Both, however, considered the political body as an organism—a doctrine favored by supporters of the totalitarian state. The assertion must not be underrated: neither thinker intended to use a metaphorical expression, hence a broad meaning of “organism.” A political body, far from being threatening, is the only body compatible with individual freedom. The important thing is to distinguish a ready-made organization from an in-the process-of-being-made organization. The former treats individuals as mechanical entities, while the latter is the result of the self-development of their freedom.