Understanding Citizenship Dimensions and Societal Harmony
Dimensions of Citizenship
Citizenship expresses the aspiration of people to live in freedom and in solidarity with humanity, emphasizing fairness. This concept can be realized through a series of activities in several key areas:
The Political Dimension
According to this definition, all citizens of a state are granted a series of civil rights, which are rights that help individuals lead a life in an atmosphere of peace and security. These include the right to life, security, freedom, and opinion. Citizens also possess political rights, enabling active participation in the state, such as the right to vote and the right to be elected. Because of this political dimension, citizens can participate in solving common problems, seeking just solutions for the general interest.
The Social Dimension
Besides the aforementioned rights, citizens enjoy social rights, such as the right to work, equality, education, and a decent life. The social state of law enables, encourages, and promotes these social rights. This state should ensure all citizens benefit equally from these rights, implementing measures such as unemployment benefits, aid grants for studies, etc. The social state of law is also called the welfare state, because it attempts to ensure that all citizens have their basic needs covered. This should not be confused with a paternalistic state.
The Economic Dimension
This is a relatively new dimension of citizenship that develops in the field of work and aims to transform economic relations to prevent citizens from becoming exploited. This transformation must be undertaken by various stakeholders: the state’s Ministry of Economy, workers, and employers. The transformation has to occur within companies, among employees, and in their own fields of acquired consumer needs.
The Civil Dimension
As citizens, we not only benefit from rights but also contribute to the collective good. We often form groups naturally (family, friends, religious groups), and sometimes we seek partnerships that enable us to develop initiatives (e.g., partnering with others to defend the Iberian lynx). These actions allow us to actively develop our civil citizenship.
The Intercultural Dimension
We develop our civil citizenship within a multicultural society, so we must be respectful and show solidarity with all citizens, even if they are in the minority. Experiences with different cultures enrich our lives, as we can learn different ways of understanding life. Our attitudes toward a pluralistic society should include:
- Allowing minorities.
- Respecting the differences of other cultures, provided they do not violate human rights.
- Respecting the will and identity of all people.
Multicultural and Pluralistic Society
A multicultural society coexists with varying degrees of conflict. A truly intercultural society thrives by respecting different cultures and sharing common values with others. Pluralism requires that these common values are the minimum that must be respected to make coexistence possible. These are the contents of civic ethics, or the ethics of citizens, meaning that everyone is obligated to respect them and may require others to respect them. This is distinct from personal preferences, beliefs, and convictions, which constitute individual conceptions of happiness.
The Ethics of Citizens: Contents of Civic Ethics
Today, a pluralistic society like ours requires coexistence based on a minimum of respect, tolerance, dialogue, and active participation. Furthermore, respect includes the defense of freedom, equality, and solidarity for all human beings.