Political authority
In political philosophy and ethics, political authority describes any of the moral principles legitimizing differences between individuals' rights and duties by virtue of their relationship with the state. Political authority grants members of a government the right to rule over citizens using coercion if necessary, while imposing an obligation for the citizens to obey government orders.
A central question in political philosophy is "To what extent is political authority legitimate?" Views range from political authority having no legitimacy to political authority being virtually unlimited in scope.
