All posts filed under “American Moral And Political Philosophy”

The study of topics such as politics, liberty, justice, property, rights, law, and the enforcement of a legal code by authority: what they are, why (or even if) they are needed, what, if anything, makes a government legitimate, what rights and freedoms it should protect and why, what form it should take and why, what the law is, and what duties citizens owe to a legitimate government, if any, and when it may be legitimately overthrown, if ever

March 11, 2017
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The Presumption of Special State Moral Authority: How Presumptions Can Be Dangerous And Inhibit Deeper Though

“The State” is thought to have a kind of special moral status that sets it apart from and above other agents. This special moral status explains why States are entitled to coerce people in a wide range of circumstances while no other agent would be permitted to coerce people. That part, that is, the entitlement to coerce other people is known as political legitimacy. While the other part of authority is generally thought as people being obligated to obey States’ commands even when people would not be obligated to obey similar commands if issued by anyone else.