The Country of No Nation

Abstract

In this essay, Julian Tepfers explores the interconnectedness of the nation state, the state of nature, and our state of mind. He argues that the nation state need not be a permanent end in itself, but can rather be a temporary state of continuous development. By bringing social contract theory into dialogue with Vedic wisdom, he proposes a continuous return to the state of nature within each individual, so that everyone might make for themselves the same social contractual choice that their ancestors made so long ago. It is a theory where the social contract becomes a social curriculum geared towards continually re-evaluating itself.