this post was submitted on 17 Jan 2025
962 points (97.2% liked)
196
16842 readers
1574 users here now
Be sure to follow the rule before you head out.
Rule: You must post before you leave.
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
You either like authority or you don't. That's binary. How much you like or dislike it is the spectrum.
Or you appreciate authority in some matters, but reject it in others. That's the point in the spectrum that rejects the simple binary.
Edit: just realised both my last posts were responding to you. I'm not stalking or weird shit I swear! It just happened I woke up with more opinions!
If you appreciate authority, you're an authoritarian...
It's a bit more nuanced than that irl. You may think rule of law is important and appreciate the authority of the courts, for example. Or you may think that someone had to pass the laws and appreciate the authority of the legislature in that regard. Institutions without authority are pointless, but they're not all inherently authoritarian unless you stretch that adjective to breaking point
Anti-authoritarianism A belief system that opposes authoritarianism, which is a form of social organization that favors obedience to authority. Anti-authoritarians often believe in civil liberties and equality before the law.
Aka I will live a moral life even if it is illegal.
This is fine if everyone is decent and righteous, but sadly many people aren't. There are lots of people who will happily steal, commit arson, kill etc etc. You need some system in place to handle this. You may think some laws bad or absurd, and indeed there have always been some terrible laws, but a system without any laws at all is totally dependent on the benevolence of individual agents. Once a society reaches a certain size, this tends to go a bit awry.
You're literally missing the forest for the trees.
I'm not saying that enforcement systems are not required. I'm saying question authority and that it's ok to not follow unjust law.