Statism
Statism describes any social or political system in which state intervention plays a major role.This term is often used polemically and provocatively, by opponents of state intervention, to argue that the legitimate powers of another element of society have been illegitimately absorbed by the state. Often, the charge of "statism" is an allegation that the private interests of the single individual are being curtailed in favor of the public interests of the many. Opponents of statism argue that such an action restricts "individual freedom", while supporters of statism argue that it ultimately benefits the individual himself, since the "public good" involves the "personal good" of the maximum number of individuals.
It should be noted that "statism" is a very general and ambiguous term, which lumps together a great number of opposing ideologies (who often have more differences than similarities between them). In particular, "statism" is used by libertarian capitalists to describe any social or political system other than their own. Such use renders the term "statism" meaningless as anything other than a pejorative remark.
A great number of modern political philosophies hold that individual rights are in no way "natural" or "absolute", but that they are social constructs; in other words, rights and freedoms are not assigned by "nature" or some other higher authority, but by human society itself. For example, we have the right to life not because there is anything "natural" about it (after all, nature does not condemn murder), but because the majority of the human population has agreed that it is in their common interest to respect this right. Therefore, individual rights cannot be separated from the public good, since the public good is the reason why individual rights exist in the first place. If one accepts that a state is necessary to protect individual rights, then one also accepts that a state is necessary to carry out other actions for the public good. This is the foundation of the majority of "statist" philosophies.
Another concept that should be noted is that of the social contract, first put forward by Jean-Jacques Rousseau. This line of thought holds that the state arises as the result of an implicit contract between free human beings. The state is set up by human beings who decide that they wish to establish an organisation with the power to guarantee their safety and welfare. They invest the state with power, and in return the state works for their common good. The authority of the state is as wide or as narrow as the people wish it to be. By living under a certain government and reaping the benefits of being a member of that society, you implicitly accept a "social contract" with your government (in much the same way as you implicitly accept the End User Licence Agreement with a software manufacturer by using a piece of software). If you do not wish to accept the social contract with your government, you are free to sign a contract with another government (by moving to a different country).
See also: Totalitarianism
Contrast: Anarchism