Each seeks his own advantage. But in doing so he stays tied to all the others. So a network arises in which each depends on each.

How far does this dependence reach?

My livelihood, my welfare and my right are interwoven with the livelihood, welfare and right of all. Only in this context are they secure. When a factory closes, it does not only hit the workers. It hits the baker on the corner, the landlord, the school.

What can we call this network?

We can see it as an external state. It is a state based on need and on the understanding. It is not yet the true state. It is the order that arises because all need each other.

Summary: In civil society, each depends on all. The welfare of the individual is interwoven with the welfare of all. This order is an external state, based on need and on the understanding.