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The state is often ascribed a special sort of authority, one that obliges citizens to obey its commands and entitles the state to enforce those commands through threats of violence. This book argues that this notion is a moral illusion: no one has ever possessed that sort of authority.

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Modern states commonly deploy coercion in a wide array of circumstances in which the resort to force would clearly be wrong for any private agent. What entitles the state to behave in this manner? And why should citizens obey its commands? This book examines theories of political authority, from the social contract theory, to theories of democratic authorization, to fairness- and consequence-based theories. Ultimately, no theory of authority succeeds, and thus no government has the kind of authority often ascribed to governments.
The author goes on to discuss how voluntary and competitive institutions could provide the central goods for the sake of which the state is often deemed necessary, including law, protection from private criminals, and national security. An orderly and liveable society thus does not require acquiescence in the illusion of political authority.
Argues that no state possesses legitimate authority, and no individual is obligated to obey a law merely because it is the law

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Analytical Contents Preface PART I:THE ILLUSION OF AUTHORITY The Problem of Political Authority The Traditional Social Contract Theory The Hypothetical Social Contract Theory The Authority of Democracy Consequentialism and Fairness The Psychology of Authority What If There Is No Authority? PART II: SOCIETY WITHOUT AUTHORITY Evaluating Social Theories The Logic of Predation Individual Security in a Stateless Society Criminal Justice and Dispute Resolution War and Societal Defense From Democracy to Anarchy References Index

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Michael Huemer is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Colorado at Boulder, USA, where he has worked since 1998. He is the author of Skepticism and the Veil of Perception and Ethical Intuitionism , as well as more than 40 articles in ethics, epistemology, political philosophy, and metaphysics.

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