Synopses & Reviews
Modern states commonly deploy coercion in a wide array of circumstances in which the resort to force would clearly be wrong for any private agent. What entitles the state to behave in this manner? And why should citizens obey its commands? This book examines theories of political authority, from the social contract theory, to theories of democratic authorization, to fairness- and consequence-based theories. Ultimately, no theory of authority succeeds, and thus no government has the kind of authority often ascribed to governments.
The author goes on to discuss how voluntary and competitive institutions could provide the central goods for the sake of which the state is often deemed necessary, including law, protection from private criminals, and national security. An orderly and livable society thus does not require acquiescence in the illusion of political authority.
Synopsis
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.
About the Author
MICHAEL HUEMER is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Colorado, USA. He is author of Ethical Intuitionism (Palgrave, 2005).
Table of Contents
Analytical Contents
Preface
PART I:THE ILLUSION OF AUTHORITY
The Problem of Political Authority
The Traditional Social Contract Theory
The Hypothetical Social Contract Theory
The Authority of Democracy
Consequentialism and Fairness
The Psychology of Authority
What If There Is No Authority?
PART II: SOCIETY WITHOUT AUTHORITY
Evaluating Social Theories
The Logic of Predation
Individual Security in a Stateless Society
Criminal Justice and Dispute Resolution
War and Societal Defense
From Democracy to Anarchy
References
Index