"It is because humans live best on a smaller scale that we should defend not just the state, but the county, the town, the street, the business, the craft, the profession, the family, as communities, as circles among the many circles narrower than the human horizon, that are appropriate spheres of moral concern." (Appiah 97).
Since early in our evolution, humans, like many other animals, have had the natural desire to form communities to fulfill our needs. As we have progressed as a species, the functions of these groups, along with the needs and desires motivating their formation, have become increasingly sophisticated and complex. Even so, I argue that there are three basic necessary functions served by every type of organized community: survival, a sense of belonging and culture, and/or spiritual fulfillment. One renowned academic postulates that "all these different forms of identity -- race, ethnicity, nation, religion, etc. - they"re really all the same." He is correct in his assertion, but only to the point that groups, as a whole, serve similar functions. His further claim that "the differences between [the different forms of identity] and the historical circumstances surrounding their use and origins don't really matter" is misled, and in this paper, I will explore why.
The basic human needs fulfilled by groups like family, industry and the nation-state are those of survival. The most animalistic of these needs are fulfilled by the family: food, shelter, reproduction, and protection. Humans, however, have obviously evolved past mere survival; we now desire rights, freedom, property, wealth, etc., all of which fall under the umbrella of "survival." Allegiance to a nation-state provides citizens with the benefits of civil rights, protection from criminals, war, and terrorism, and access to education and health care. Allegiance to industry or business provides economic benefits and career opportunities.