I will be speaking about the first type of legitimate domination: legal-rational authority. Weber defines legal-
rational authority as, "resting on a belief in the legality of enacted rules and the right of those elevated to authority
under such rules to issue commands" (Weber, pg.217). It comes to regulate rules that everyone can follow. When we
speak about legal authority, we speak about laws, laws that have been enforced to maintain order in society. For
example, "driving a car." In order for safety to be incurred, rules and regulations were put into place so that
accidents can be minimized. Examples are stopping at a red light or driving under the speed limit. The person issuing
the demand is under the same law as people who
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Weber explains 5 ideas on legal authority.
The first idea is when a group of people come together and establish rules to follow, where the majority agrees to the rule.
The second idea is when any rule or regulation must be taken into consideration without conflicting with other
rules that are already in place.
As for the third, "the person in authority, the 'superior,' is himself subject to an impersonal order by orienting
his actions to it in his own dispositions and commands" (Weber, pg.218). For example: a teacher that is a person with
authority, must also follow the rules and regulations that were put into place by the teacher's associations.
The fourth one, according to Weber, is "that the person who obeys authority does so, as it is usually stated,
only in his capacity as a 'member' of the organization and what he obeys is only 'the law'" (Weber, pg218). It is when
a member of a religious group follows the teachings from their religion where they obey, not by general, but by
religious belief only. For example: if you're a good catholic, you would be going to church every
Scheck, Barry. "Following Orders." New Republic 206.21 (1992): 17. MAS Ultra - School Edition. Web. 15 Apr.
The rational part of the ruler is wise and therefore it should rule over the other parts of the mind. Socrates questions, “…isn’t it appropriate for the rational part to rule, since it is really wise and exercises foresight on behalf of the whole soul…(Plato 98).” In th...
He claims that the authority has a right to rule and it means that people need to obey the laws. He links the “right to rule” and “obey the law”. It is not necessarily true that the“right to rule” and “obey the law” is linked. If we look at the relationship between parents and children, parents have natural authority over their children. The parents may command children to go to school. Although the children were told to go to school, they may not obey the parents’ command to go to school. Just because the parents have a right to rule over their children, it does not mean that they are taking away children’s autonomy. While Wolff suggests that the authority’s “right to rule” is followed by individual’s “obey the law”, he does not clarify the case when some people have natural or professional
Through my research and findings of obedience to authority this ancient dilemma is somewhat confusing but needs understanding. Problem with obedience to authority has raised a question to why people obey or disobey and if there are any right time to obey or not to obey. Through observation of many standpoints on obedience and disobedience to authority, and determined through detailed examination conducted by Milgram “The Perils Of Obedience,” Doris Lessing “Group Minds” and Shirley Jackson “The Lottery”. We have to examine this information in hopes of understanding or at least be able to draw our own theories that can be supported and proven on this subject.
...t to their supreme authority: the right to determine who is equal among them. With this conception of the theory, anyone could always resolve a situation if it was necessary for the achievement of peace.
Obedience is also seen by many as the path of least resistance; it isn’t as mentally demanding to follow someone’s orders. Assuming authority figures know what is best for everyone, it is simpler to do what we are told than to have to think for ourselves. But once we stop thinking for ourselves and begin following orders bli...
Therefore, for the development of the society, a legal, formal and universal system has to be established, that can deal with subjects, that cannot be resolved or addressed through natural, customary or religious law. Thus over time, the law scholars and sociologists started to understand the complexity and interrelationship between law and society.
They are not only its inert or consenting target; they are always also the elements of its articulation” (Foucault, “Two Lectures” 34). Power may take various forms, all of which are employed and exercised by individualsand unto individuals in the institutions of society. In all institutions, there is political and judicial power, as certain individuals claim the right to give orders, establish rules, and so forth as well as the right to punish and award. For example, in school, the professor not only teaches, but also dictates, evaluates, as well as punishes and rewards.
In a society there are different authorities that we follow. According to Weber, there are three types of authorities which are are rational -legal authority, traditional authority, and charismatic authority. According to the article “Marx Weber: Traditional, Legal-Rational, and Charismatic Authority” by Dana Williams: rational-legal authority is powered by the belief that the law gives the legitimacy for example government officials; traditional authority is the belief that it is the traditional way and it is passed down for example the British Monarchy; lastly, charismatic authority is fueled by the liking of a person, it is also neutral meaning that it can go both ways (negative or positive) for example Adolf Hitler and Martin Luther King
Therefore, when individuals begin to identify with the hierarchy as a group, conformity and obedience may overlap yet conformity to group norms is longer lasting than obedience to authority.
Central to the bureaucracy are the predisposition of subordinates to obey orders made by a superior and the ideology that the mandate is legitimate (Cockerham and Cohen, 1273). Although compliance to orders are voluntary, in the military organization obedience is a soldier’s responsibility (Ibid). The standard expectation of soldiers to conform to superiors’ directive is to enhance the efficiency of the military to complete goals (Cockerham and Cohen, 1275). When people are subjected to follow orders unquestionably, they may or may not withhold personal moral judgements. However, in the military, obedience define efficiency.
It implies the delegation of power and authority from the
to enforce the standards, without the standards the discipline is out the window and useless.
Man has recognized the importance of justice in his society since the earliest of times. In order to serve justice, there has to be a law to settle differences among the people of the state. The history of law in relation to society reveals that humanity’s earliest efforts at lawmaking were prompted by the basic desire of self-preservation. Although engulfed by a society that necessitated such combinations as clans and tribes for protection, as well as for social and economic advancement, the nature of the individual led to the development of certain expressed general rights with regard to person and property1. Generally, these unwritten rules governing social and economic interaction recognized the right to defend oneself from injury as well as to enjoy property without outside interference. While sufficient for primitive societies, unwritten rules of social control were ineffective in a rapidly developing society. So, an effort was made to clarify them so that all the people would know their definitions, limits, and applications.
Rules are the foundation of society. If there are no rules everyone would do whatever they want and have serious consequences. For example, texting and and using your cell phone while driving is very dangerous to yourself and other people surrounding you. The reason why many people are against this action is because it causes many car accidents and deaths every year. While driving many teenagers and adu...