Though it's straying somewhat from the subject of this thread, I would support the classical Burkeian definition of the State as a body whose sole justification is its ability to do better for the People certain things they cannot or will not do themselves. The simple fact that government intervention occasionally evolves to the public benefit is not adequate justification for that intervention. The benefit must be consistent, demonstrable, and parsimonious in its demands on individual liberties.
Sure, but the Modern State has arrived everywhere on earth and it is all that and more. At the same time it has arrived with all power and that includes the power of unchecked evil and the sole right to administer justice. There is no comprehensive Theory of the State; all attempts to define the State, including Rousseau, Burke, and Hegel, are only bare beginnings. Are we in any position to limit the power of the State when just as many others are using the power of the State to further their own nefarious goals? It's here, and we are just beginning to see it at work. Is this how we are going to move toward our destiny in outer space?