Authority

From citizens paying taxes to employees following their bosses' orders and kids obeying their parents, we take it for granted that a whole range of authorities have the power to impose duties on others. However, although authority is often accepted in practice, it looks philosophically problematic if we conceive persons as free and equals.

In this short and accessible book, Fabian Wendt examines the basis of authority, discussing five prominent theories that try to explain how claims to authority can be vindicated. Focusing in particular on the issue of how states can rightfully claim authority, he rigorously analyses the theories’ arguments and evaluates their strengths and weaknesses. He also debates anarchism as an alternative that should be taken seriously if no theory ultimately succeeds in explaining state authority.

This clear and engaging book will be essential reading for anyone grappling with the most fundamental questions of authority and obligation in political theory and political philosophy. Acknowledgments vi

1: Varieties of Authority 1

2: Consent and Authority 17

3: The Service Conception of Authority 37

4: Community and Authority 50

5: Natural Duties and Authority 67

6: Fair Cooperation and Authority 83

7: States without Authority 97

Bibliography 115

Index 125

“Fabian Wendt has produced an elegant overview of recent discussions of both political and theoretical authority. Clear, thorough, and consistently insightful.”
George Klosko, University of Virginia

“Fabian Wendt’s fresh, penetrating analysis of the problems of political obligation and political authority is unsurpassed. Current approaches to this perennial topic and the future directions open to theorists are clarified with surgical precision. This book is both an accessible introduction for all and essential reading for specialists.”
William A. Edmundson, Georgia State University
Fabian Wendt is a Research Associate at Chapman University in Orange, California.