Tag Archives: legitimate authority

What makes the government morally different from, say, a criminal organization with the power to enforce compliance from people?

Part 1 political philosophy, which is concerned with the nature and justification of government. One leading question of political philosophy is the question of legitimacy: When a government uses force or the threat of force on citizens, what if anything makes this morally justifiable? In other words, does the government have legitimate authority or merely power? What makes the government morally […]