Political obligation, citizenship and legitimate authority obligation means a condition to perform a duty or fulfil a requirement. Click download or read online button to philosophicalanarchismandpoliticalobligation book pdf for free now. Platos republic and laws, aristotles politics, and others. Gilbert is widely admired for her work in this area. In cases where an action or forbearance that is required by law is morally obligatory on independent grounds, political obligation simply gives the citizen an additional reason for acting accordingly. A response to christopher wellmans liberal theory of political obligation george klosko in a recent article, christopher wellman formulates a theory of political obligation based on a principle of samaritanism. While commentators agree on the basic theme of hobbess theory, that people become obligated to obey a sovereign through the covenants they make either to each other or to the sovereign, they disagree on what hobbes took to be the grounds. She also explores a classic theory of political obligationactual contract theoryaccording to which one is obligated to conform to the laws of ones country because one agreed to do so.
Some concepts need more prominence the duty to preserve mankind, the right of war, and private judgment. In the liberal tradition, liberty is a central value, and so the fact that some individuals should obey others must be explained. Political authority and political obligation by stephen r. A quasicontract theory of political obligation springerlink. Pdf consent freedom and political obligation oxford. Although it is an ancient and muchdiscussed problem, political obligation continues to pose challenges to political and legal philosophers. Legitimacy refers to certain qualities a government must possess in order to be morally acceptable, and authority to the fact that a governments citizens have moral requirements to obey its laws. Pdf political obligation, and the site and scope of justice. Political obligation stanford encyclopedia of philosophy.
However, there yet remains no general consensus as to whether any theory successfully answers this. Download authorityandpoliticalobligation ebook pdf or read online books in pdf, epub, and mobi format. Theyre the facts that generate the obligation that gave rise to it. I mean that term to include both the obligation of the subject towards the sovereign, of the citizen towards the state, and the obligations of individuals to each other as enforced by a political superior. The majority of political philosophers investigating this issue agree. They come, rather, from ones participation in a special kind of commitment. Analyzes and explains the debates on political obligation.
Consent and the basis of political obligation with reference made to. In contrast, if political refers to the agent or entity to whom a person owes the obligation, then a theory of political obligation will be synonymous with a theory of the duty to obey the law, since it will aspire to explain why those who are subject to a particular states jurisdiction, be they citizens or foreigners, have a moral duty. Pdf political authority and obligation keith hyams. In defense of the consent theory of political obligation. By political obligation, theorists generally mean a moral requirement to obey the law. Consent theory is a rich and complex branch of the philosophy of political obligation, one with far more nuances and subarguments than i can explore here. The subject of this chapter is hobbess theory of political obligation. Political obligation and political secession1 as the twentieth century draws to a close, centrifugal forces are threatening the territorial integrity of multicultural states. Whether there is a general moral obligation to obey the law, often referred to as political obligation, is an enduring question in contemporary legal and political philosophy. Management of public affairs political legitimacy resistance to authority management of public affairs.
The theory that political obligation and authority are derived from the consent of citizens is commonly accepted in the history of western political thought. Lockes theory of natural law is hlso examined in terms of its political. Legitimacy, authority, and political obligation springerlink. A theory of political obligation membership, commitment, and the bonds of society margaret gilbert. Political obligation arises out of our being embedded within our role as citizens, and the responsibilities that are attached to this role. University of toronto press hansen, philip, 1977, t. For hobbes, social contract theory established the authority of anyone who was able to wield and hold power. The book responds to the most important objections and extends a theorybased. The goal of basic political concepts is to provide exactly what the title suggests. Communitarian theories, for example, might be particularly awkward to place in these terms. Political obligation is of immense significance in rousseaus theory. A utilitarian account of political obligation by brian. To a lay man the word means to have a political obligation is to have a moral duty to obey the laws of ones country or state.
In traditional works in the history of political theory, the concepts of legitimacy and authority are closely bound. Greens best known work, lectures on the principles of political obligation, is included in full, as are the essay on freedom and the lecture liberal legislation and freedom of contract. Political theory of john locke in political obligation in its historical context cambridge. This theory is referred to as the plural subject theory of political obligation since, by the authors definition, those who are party to any joint commitment constitute a. Pluralistic models of political obligation philosophica. In contrast, if political refers to the agent or entity to whom a person owes the obligation, then a theory of political obligation will be synonymous with a theory of the duty to obey the law, since it will aspire to explain why those who are subject to a particular states jurisdiction, be. Divine theory, consent theory, political obligation, political leadership. By political obligation, theorists generally mean a moral requirement to obey the law of ones state or ones country. Locke on political obligation volume 45 issue 3 john kilcullen. Associative responsibilities and political obligation. Astronger position can result fromcombining different principles in a single theory. Much has been written about lockes second treatise, but still, i believe, the books main line of argument has been left unclear.
The idea of political obligation is philosophical, focusing on the morality of laws, rather than justice. Political obligation philosophy oxford bibliographies. Political obligation, and the site and scope of justice. I mean that term to include both the obligation of the subject towards the sovereign, of the citizen towards the state, and the obligations of individuals to each other as. John simmons simmons 1979, cited under overviews, are generality, that the requisite moral requirements are held by all or most all citizens, and particularity, that. A theory of political obligation paperback margaret. Download philosophicalanarchismandpoliticalobligation ebook pdf or read. Other challenges concern the practical matters of whether and to what extent. There are two things from which such a theory must be dis tinguished. The liberalor modernview of political obligation is classically expressed in john lockes second treatise of government. Green and selections from those of his ethical writings which bear on his political philosophy. Lectures on the principles of political obligation and.
Stated in an overly simplified way, the question being asked when one investigates political obligation is, what, if anything, do citizens owe to their government and how are these obligations generated if they do exist. A genuinely original and distinctive theory of political obligation. The book provides a clear and accessible introduction to political theory and key concepts in political analysis. It explains meaning, features, theories of origin of state, conception of state from different ideological lenses, and major theories of. It advocates that the state was created by god and governed by his deputy. I have entitled the subject of the course political obligation. Provides a full defence of a theory of political obligation on the basis of the principle of fairness or fair play. The author concentrates on the exposition of this theory, carefully explaining how and in what sense joint commitments obligate. Green and the development of liberaldemocratic thought, toronto. Discussion of political obligation grew during the era of social contract theory, in which thomas hobbes and john locke were crucial in explaining the idea and its importance.
For a defense of the traditional position, see carole pateman, political obligation and conceptual analysis, political studies, 21 june, 1973, 199 218. The book responds to the most important objections and extends a theory based. Political obligation and the particularity requirement volume 10 issue 2 christopher heath wellman 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. The main exceptions center on socrates trial and imprisonment, as recounted by plato, especially socrates purported dialogue with. Political obligation thus refers to the moral duty of citizens to obey the laws of their state. What are the characteristics of political obligations. This article argues for the valuebased conception of a moral power, which states, very roughly, that one person holds a power over another if there is.
At the critical moment janos gave me a present a copy of kloskos the principle of fairness and political obligations. Commonly, a theorist begins by arguing for a set of criteria that an adequate theory of political obligation must satisfy. Theories on the origin of the state theories of political obligation idealistic theory traditional theory consent theory divine right theory 20. From bosnia and chechnya to sri lanka and somalia, secessionist movements are warring to achieve politically independent governments and ethnically homogenous communities. Such a condition may arise selection from political theory book. Lectures on the principles of political obligation t. The main exceptions center on socrates trial and imprisonment, as recounted by plato, especially socrates purported dialogue with the laws of athens in the crito.
In the principle of fairness and political obligation, george klosko presents the first booklength treatment of political obligation grounded in. What it has going for it is that, unlike the other theories of political obligation, consent clearly works. The discussion focuses exclusively on the exposition of the theory in leviathan. Theories of political obligation divine right theory. Hobsons secondwave weberian theory of the state and international trade regime change 206 7. Indeed, a number of contemporary political philosophers deny that a satisfactory theory of political obligation either has been or can be devised. See hannah pitkin, obligation and consent, american political science. Theories are continually being formulated, criticized, and reformulated as theorists attempt to settle this issue.