What justifies political authority? Social Sciences Essay Paper

WHAT JUSTIFIES POLITICAL AUTHORITY?
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Political authority means having the power to influence other people to do something. Others are obligated to follow the demands or commands. Those in authority also have the power to use coercive means to enforce their commands. An example is a law whereby others have to obey the law. Political authority is justifiable if it is legitimate. This means that the government only exists since it has the consent of the governed. People or citizens have a contract with the government. On the one hand, the government is responsible for providing the services and goods required and in return, the citizens have to be obedient.[Kim, Sungmoon. "Confucian Authority, Political Right, and Democracy." Philosophy East and West 67, no. 1 (2017): 9.]
According to the instrumentalist theory by Joseph Raz, political authority is justifiable since it appeals to the gains that the subjects will attain from the relationship. Based on the service perspective of authority, the law has power over a person since it is for their benefit. Individuals gain from the benefits arising through cooperative labours with others, and this arises from enjoying the stability and using public goods supported by the rule of law. This reveals that everyone has an obligation to reciprocate. This suggests that they have to do their fair share of maintaining society.[Viehoff, Daniel. "XIV—The Truth in Political Instrumentalism." In Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society, vol. 117, no. 3, pp. 273-295. Oxford University Press, 2017.] [Peter, Fabienne. 2010. “Political Legitimacy (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy).” Stanford.Edu. 2010. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/legitimacy/#JusPowCrePolAut.‌]
A major issue is that coercion is often regarded as the only way for legitimate governments to secure their authority. However, this is only an alternative approach if the primary normative method of authoritative guidance does not work. The main goal of coercion is for justifying the coercive power. Based on Hobbes’s perspective about the social contract, the natural state has many risks that influence people to seek self-preservation and this can only be attained via an agreement that authorises the sovereign. The sovereign comprises individuals or a group which protects the citiz...