This essay explores the complex question of whether the purpose of the state is to ensure the happiness of its citizens. Anchored in historical and philosophical perspectives, it examines the interplay between the state, the individual, and the concept of happiness. The analysis begins with Louis XIV’s declaration, “The State is me,” as a point of departure to discuss the state as both a political structure and a moral ideal. By dissecting classical notions from Plato and Aristotle, the essay considers the evolution of statehood and citizenship, including their capacity to foster collective or individual happiness. It critiques Enlightenment-era and Renaissance thinkers like Machiavelli and Thomas More, who challenged and reimagined the state’s role in achieving an ideal society. The discussion extends to modern democracies, questioning whether their moral elevation parallels the divine authority once claimed by monarchs, and whether they serve the happiness of the people or a privileged elite. Ultimately, the essay argues that happiness is a subjective and individual phenomenon, one that no state can guarantee. Instead, the relationship between state and citizen is inherently a negotiation of mutual obligations, with happiness remaining an elusive ideal shaped more by individual agency than by external structures.

State, happiness, governance, citizenship, utopia, individual freedom, societal organisation, democracy, moral ideal, collective aspiration, subjective experience