In the tradition of Natural Law, a nation is not merely a political entity but...

In the tradition of Natural Law, a nation is not merely a political entity but a group of people who are bound by common ancestry, common law, common culture, common speech, and common religion. These shared elements form the foundation of a collective survival strategy, wherein individuals operate under reciprocal trust and cooperation, knowing that the incentives of their fellow countrymen align with their own.

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The Nation: Rule by Commonality and Common Ascent

A nation functions as a self-sustaining, organic entity because its people share not only a genetic lineage but a deep civilizational coherence. This coherence is evident in:

Shared Law – A system of governance that emerges naturally from the customs and traditions of the people, ensuring that law is an extension of the people’s moral and practical imperatives.

Shared Culture – The ethical and behavioral norms that dictate how individuals interact, reinforcing cooperation and minimizing conflict.

Shared Speech – A common language that facilitates precise communication, mutual understanding, and the transmission of knowledge and wisdom across generations.

Shared Religion – A unified spiritual and moral framework that binds individuals to common values, ensuring alignment between personal interests and the collective good.

Because of these shared elements, a nation does not require coercion to function effectively—it operates on a system of reciprocal cooperation, where the incentives of individuals and families naturally align with those of the collective.

The Empire: Rule by Force and Totalitarianism

When a political entity incorporates multiple ethnic groups with distinct survival strategies, it ceases to be a nation and becomes an empire. Empires are inherently unstable because they contain competing group interests that cannot be reconciled without coercion. Unlike a homogenous nation where shared identity fosters voluntary cooperation, an empire must force disparate groups to work together, often at the expense of one or more groups within it. This leads to:

Legal Pluralism or Over-Centralization – Either laws must be tailored to accommodate various ethnic groups (leading to fragmentation and inconsistency), or a centralized system must be imposed to suppress dissent and enforce uniformity.

Cultural Conflict – Without a shared culture, different ethnic groups maintain competing moral and social norms, leading to internal strife and fragmentation.

Linguistic Barriers – Miscommunication and distrust arise when multiple languages prevent clarity in law, commerce, and governance.

Religious Schisms – Competing religious frameworks lead to moral discord, undermining unity and eroding trust.

Since no natural harmony exists in an empire, governance must rely on totalitarianism to suppress factional conflict and enforce a semblance of unity. This includes:

Suppression of Dissent – Ensuring no group’s interests overpower another by limiting free speech and independent organization.

Artificial Equality and Redistribution – Forced wealth and power redistribution to appease competing ethnic factions.

Surveillance and Bureaucracy – Expanding state control to micromanage interactions between incompatible groups.

Militarization of Society – The use of force to maintain internal stability, ensuring compliance through state violence rather than natural alignment.

Conclusion: The Incompatibility of the Nation and the Empire

A true nation is an entity that can function without coercion, bound by shared lineage, law, culture, language, and faith. The moment a polity becomes multi-ethnic, it ceases to be a nation and must become an empire—a structure that is inherently fragile, coercive, and totalitarian. This is the inevitable fate of all multi-ethnic states: as competing group interests emerge, only increasing levels of force can maintain the illusion of unity.

A free people cannot exist in an empire, for the empire must always rule through force. Therefore, the preservation of nationhood is the preservation of liberty, while the embrace of empire is the embrace of despotism.

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