Dream, law or custom : what is the best means to manage people ?

Claude Riveline questions the notion that the Nation, the State and society embody respectively the myth, the ritual and the tribe of a globally coherent entity. He considers that the Nation is increasingly inefficient as a dream-object, and that the State is increasingly cumbersome as a machine. He sees the brightest future for social ties in the achievements of society. This analysis is strongly contested by Emmanuel Edou and Christian Sautter who draw on their experience in public affairs. However, they concede that important changes call for upheavals preceded by long periods of patience.