Public Law Studies Quarterly

The Neutral State: Myth or Reality?

Articles in Press

Document Type : Article

Authors

Ali Velaei 1
Seyed Mohammad Ghari Seyed Fatemi 2
Seyed Alireza Hosseini Beheshti 3

1 PhD Student in Public Law at Shahid Beheshti University

2 Professor in International Law and Human Rights, Shahid Beheshti University.

3 Assistant Professor in Political Philosophy, Tarbiat Modares University.

https://doi.org/10.22059/jplsq.2025.390638.3702
Abstract
Liberal neutrality, considered the dominant theory in contemporary political philosophy, has been accompanied by many issues in practice. In this paper, based on conceptual analysis and a critical approach, the reasons for the theoretical and practical impossibility of a neutral state will be examined. The discussion will address the self-contradictory nature of neutrality and inability to justify itself impartially, the reliance on a form of atomistic individualism, the neglect of the contextual nature of values, the pursuit of cultural uniformity in non-liberal societies, the lack of free and independent will necessary for autonomy, the failures of the cultural market to providing sufficient range of options for citizens, as well as the crises arising from the neutral state that envisions no ultimate purpose for human beings. This absence can strip citizens of any form of concern for virtues in the public sphere, playing a passive role in the flourishing of human capabilities, while also disregarding citizens' social responsibilities and necessary interventions of the state. According to the findings of this research, determining the scope of neutrality and partiality is significant, and by the distinction between the concepts of neutrality and impartiality, what is desirable and achievable is limited neutrality or impartiality.

Keywords

Autonomy
Impartiality
Individualism
Negative Liberty
Perfectionism
Subjects
Public Law Studies Quarterly

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 11 May 2025

  • Receive Date 17 February 2025
  • Revise Date 06 May 2025
  • Accept Date 05 May 2025

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