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Orginally published as "Ideen zu einem Versuch die Granzen der Wirksamkeit des Staats zu bestimmen" in 1781, this politico-philosophical work examines in a humanistic way how far a government should extend or confine its operations with regard to the individual. Humboldt criticizes state control of education, religion, and its intervention for the positive welfare of the citizen. The real end of the state is its concern for the individual's security, and Humboldt goes on to consider philosophically the legal implications of this conclusion.