Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
  1. Home
  2. Search

Refine search

Refine search

Access:
Content type:
Publication date:
Apply   From and To filters
Subject: Show more
Journals Show more
Publishers: Show more
Societies Show more
Series: Show more
Collections: Show more

Actions for selected content:

Select all | Deselect all
  • View selected items
  • Export citations
  • Download PDF (zip)
  • Save to Kindle
  • Save to Dropbox
  • Save to Google Drive

Save Search

You can save your searches here and later view and run them again in "My saved searches".

Please provide a title, maximum of 40 characters.
Cancel
×

1 results

  • 1 - A Public Conception of Political Authority

  • Avihay Dorfman, Tel-Aviv University, Alon Harel, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
  • Book:
    Reclaiming the Public
    Published online:
    22 February 2024
    Print publication:
    29 February 2024, pp 14-40

  • Summary

    Political authority can be tyrannical even when the laws it creates are grounded in reason, the authority enjoys the consent of the governed, and its lawmaking procedures are egalitarian and fair. To provide a more appealing account of political authority, we argue that a certain conception of the public provides the basis for explaining what political authority is and what might render it legitimate. An institution or official has legitimate authority when it speaks and acts “in our name,” rather than “for us.” This implies that its rules can be characterized as “our rules” and, consequently, that we are responsible for these rules. To count as ours, these rules should satisfy the condition of perspectivism. The rules must reflect the perspective of citizens. Perspective is an abstract concept that can take different interpretations, some of which we describe in this chapter. When this condition is met, the authority’s decisions are attributable to the citizens, rendering them responsible for these decisions.