Political Authority A Need For Authority - 1782 Words

Political Authority: A NEED There is a form of government in every modern society. Grant it, there are many different political powers but regardless, there is someone, or some group of persons that has formal authority which makes laws, enforces them and punishes those that do not abide. But where does it come from is the question. Thomas Hobbes, John Locke and Aristotle have theories and ideas that give us a clue. They present ideas concerning different forms of authority; how authority has evolved; and where it even started. And from this I determine that in order to find where political authority comes from you have to ask why we even have a need for authority. And after answering that question it becomes glaringly obvious that political authority comes from people/society’s need to have a higher power in order to best function as civilized human beings. In â€Å"Leviathan† Hobbes introduces us to the state of nature which he classifies as solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short. Becau se the state of nature is so meek, people are unconscious of others. They have no empathy and it is really every man versus every man, hence the reason for the seeming helpless state of nature. To us in 2013, this theory of the state of nature is rather extreme and barbaric sounding. There has to be authority, a government and some set of laws put in place to maintain peace and order. But this is not the case according to Hobbes. If the people want security they can choose theShow MoreRelatedEssay on Classification of Authority544 Words   |  3 Pagesphenomenon called authority is at once more ancient and more fundamental than the phenomenon called state; the natural ascendancy of some men over others is the principle of all human organizations and all human advances†. Authority is and always has been present in human civilization in all aspects of life and in different forms. Authority can be classified into three categories: family or parental authority, organizationa l and bureaucratic authorities, and political authority. Parental and familyRead MoreHuman Nature Establishes Political Authority982 Words   |  4 Pagesthree different accounts of the state of nature, it is important to understand the differing accounts of how human nature establishes political authority. Hobbes believes that because the state of nature is a constant state of war, the role of government must be to protect the people to protect people from themselves. Therefore, the purpose of political authority is to enforce law and order, and that the purpose of government is to control and be authoritative and should not be responsible for representingRead MoreHobbes And Locke s Political Legitimacy1530 Words   |  7 PagesIn defining political legitimacy, many theorists put forth a distinct set of values that frame their view on the authorities’ right to rule and citizen’s obligation to follow. Theorists such as Hobbes and Locke, both of their account on political legitimacy might look quite similar at first glance, because each theorized about the nature of mankind and the right political systems that would meet the needs of individuals. However, in Hobbes’ perspective, political authority does not pre-exist in individual’sRead MoreThe Legitimate Authority of a Despot in the UK1724 Words   |  7 Pagesjustly, then the despot would have legitimate authority. By saying the despot’s authority would be legitimate, I mean that, even though the despot abruptly seized power without the explicit consent of the citizens, which would then result in a loss of autonomy and negative liberty, the authority is governing the society justly, so a small amount of their rights must be sacrificed for a better society. I have three reasons for asserting the legitimate authority of the despot; first, the tacit and hypotheticalRead MoreThe Power and Authority of the Government Essay examples845 Words   |  4 PagesThe Power and Authority of the Government Power can be seen as the capacity of a government to get its citizens to comply with it. Power is quite broadly used and can even be seen as obedience as this shows a deliberate self restraint of citizens that might otherwise resist the government. It has a direct connection with authority as authority carries the implication that the institution that has power is supported in its decisions by a substantial amount of people andRead MoreExamine and Assess How Political Order Is Made and Repaired1635 Words   |  7 PagesExamine and assess how political order is made and repaired. In this TMA I will examine and assess how political order is made mainly through the state. In order to create, maintain and repair political order, the state needs authority from its citizens to do so and this authority needs to be legitimate. ‘Legitimacy refers to a belief in the states rightness, its right to rule or the idea that its authority is proper.’ I will then explain how today, legitimacy is closely linked to democracyRead MoreChristianity And Its Relationship With Political Authority1196 Words   |  5 PagesChristianity and its relationship with political authority has changed over the course of the period we have studied this semester. There has been a lot of back and forth about the main religion in the countries we have studied, and predominantly in Rome. The main religion of a country is traced back to the religion of the political authority. Citizens looked up to their rulers, therefore convert to the religion of the authority. Initially, Roman s viewed Christianity as a new sect of JudaismRead MoreAnnotated Bibliography On Obedience And Authority Essay1358 Words   |  6 PagesIn the intro of â€Å"Obedience to Authority,† Milgram aptly points out that â€Å"some system of authority is a requirement of all communal living†(Milgram 1). This is a universal human truth. Authority is something that humanity, from the beginning of time, has consistently relied upon. Milgram argues that â€Å"obedience is the psychological mechanism that links individual action to political purpose† and that it is the â€Å"dispositional cement that binds men to systems of authority† (Milgram 1). I argue that obedienceRead MoreThe Issue Of State And Sovereignty Essay1516 Words   |  7 Pagesbut in order to have such authority there is a need of an existence from a state. The idea of State and sovereignty goes hand-in-hand, because it belongs to the nation and supervises the state and maintain its order, and this o rder sometimes has been accomplished by violent means. Moreover, Schmitt and Arendt offer different accounts on what Sovereignty means in political theory, and the procedures by which it is applied on the daily basis. Schmitt argues that the political entity must always be sovereignRead MoreThe On The House Of Medici1245 Words   |  5 PagesBy looking at the political history of major world powers, we are clearly aware of the events of legitimation crises: the House of Medici was confronted by the people under the influence of religious Savonarola; American Civil War emerged from a conflict of ideologies of the North and the South; Southeast Asian countries went through unsuccessful and even destructive decolonization; Communist China was challenged by large-scale protests after the East European upheaval. It is definitely a serious