If a ruler seeks absolute power, if he acts both as judge and participant in disputes, he puts himself in a state of war with his subjects and we have the right and the duty to kill such rulers and their servants. No right to rebel. The ruler's will defines good and evil for his subjects. The King can do no wrong, because lawful and unlawful, good and evil, are merely commands, merely the will of the ruler. Civil Society Civil society precedes the state, both morally and historically.
Society creates order and grants the state legitimacy.
Civil society is the application of force by the state to uphold contracts and so forth. Civil society is a creation of the state. The only important role of the state is to ensure that justice is seen to be done Whatever the state does is just by definition. All of society is a direct creation of the state, and a reflection of the will of the ruler. Authorized use of force Authorization is meaningless, except that the authorization gives us reason to believe that the use of force is just.