On Authority

We hear quite a lot from "authorities" these days, and often they contradict one another. How do we decide which ones to follow? Authority may be based on power of intellect or power as the threat of force (implied or direct). Sometimes, "authorities" are presented, or present themselves, without any obvious qualifications in a given field. How do such people capture our attention? They may be mesmerizingly wealthy, famous, powerful; they may simply be charismatic and appealing; or they may have a track record of being right, a reputation built on achievement. A philosophical treatment of the idea of authority, this book is a dialogue between three characters. “Director,” a philosopher, challenges the others to think through their ideas of authority, how it is established, how it works, and the different ways in which it can be exercised. The author adds another question: Don’t democratic citizens have a duty to think through the things pertaining to authority? We take much for granted: Let authority not be one of them.