Market, Society, and the State

While the previous symposium held by >i>Res Publica>/i> dealt with "The Logic of the Market and the Concept of the State," the topic of the present symposium is "Public Order in a Market Society" (>i>shichang shehui yu gonggong zhixu>/i>). What significance, you may ask, is there in this change of topics? And how is this new subject tied to basic logic? For the moment, I would like to avoid any discussion of these issues and simply note that these very fundamental concepts are all interconnected in both theoretical and practical terms. Combining and conjoining them in a variety of ways not only illuminates the logic and rationale behind each concept, but also illustrates the basic theoretical interest of their proponents. I will admit that my "diffuse discussion" (>i>manyi>/i>) of "Market, Society, and the State" may be somewhat casual, but I would still contend that there is considerable significance to what I have to say. Simply put, it is my hope that in focusing on the relation of "market" and "state," some prominence for the place of "society" will be established, while, at the same time, the subtle and complex relationship among the three will also be illuminated. The fact of the matter is that all threeâmarket, society, and stateâare relevant to the formation of "public order."