The Problem of Political Authority [electronic resource] : An Examination of the Right to Coerce and the Duty to Obey
Huemer, Michael.
Basingstoke : Palgrave Macmillan,
2012.
The state is often ascribed a special sort of authority, one that obliges citizens to obey its commands and entitles the state to enforce those commands through threats of violence. This book argues that this notion is a moral illusion: no one has ever possessed that sort of authority.
Description based upon print version of record.
Cover; Half-title; Series; Title; Copyright; Contents; Analytical Contents; List of Figures; Preface; Part I The Illusion of Authority; 1 The Problem of Political Authority; 2 The Traditional Social Contract Theory; 3 The Hypothetical Social Contract Theory; 4 The Authority of Democracy; 5 Consequentialism and Fairness; 6 The Psychology of Authority; 7 What if There Is No Authority?; Part II Society without Authority; 8 Evaluating Social Theories; 9 The Logic of Predation; 10 Individual Security in a Stateless Society; 11 Criminal Justice and Dispute Resolution; 12 War and Societal Defense
13 From Democracy to AnarchyReferences; Index
The state is often ascribed a special sort of authority, one that obliges citizens to obey its commands and entitles the state to enforce those commands through threats of violence. This book argues that this notion is a moral illusion: no one has ever possessed that sort of authority.
Authority.
Authority.
Obedience.
Obedience.
Social contract.
Social contract.
Philosophy
Philosophy & Religion
Ethics