Politics & Government · Political Theory
A topic within Political Theory, itself one of 14 topics in that field and part of Politics & Government.
2 works
Robert Filmer
Political authority is simply paternal authority handed down from Adam through the eldest line of descent, so subjects owe kings the same unconditional obedience owed to a father, the premise Locke's Second Treatise was written to demolish.
link checked 17 Sept 2026Max Weber
The state is defined by its monopoly on legitimate violence, and legitimacy itself rests on only three pure grounds — tradition, charisma or legal-rational authority — which every actual regime mixes.
link checked 17 Sept 2026