Legitimacy of Political Power: Origins and Social Impact
Origin and Concept of Legitimacy
What is Legitimacy?
We often question whether political authorities are legitimate. Is this phenomenon good or bad? Should it continue or be improved? We seldom question its origin.
Political power is essential for the proper functioning of society, and the more people involved, the more urgent it becomes. However, not all political power is legitimate. We need criteria to distinguish what is legitimate from what is not. To determine whether legitimate political authorities are fulfilling their functions properly, we must consider whether they are harming citizens and if each person is fulfilling their obligations. In fact, people are not exempt from punishment if they fail to meet their obligations.
Origins of Legitimacy
Positive Origin and Positive Legitimacy
First, we believe that an institution with a good source is legitimate. Under certain circumstances, we may question its legitimacy if we observe abuses and bad practices.
Negative Origin and Positive Legitimacy
Other institutions are created through violence and abuse. Their origin is negative, and they are not legitimate. Examples of such institutions include slavery, the Mafia, and the Inquisition. Some institutions have been rejected and criticized, and we have never considered their sources legitimate.
Negative Origin of Positive Legitimacy
The third combination involves institutions that may have been created through violence and abuse but are now considered legitimate. For example, the origin of private ownership of land.
Positive Origin of Negative Legitimacy
In the fourth combination, an institution may have an ethically positive origin but may not be legitimate. Public holidays and festivals, where excessive alcohol consumption is sometimes present, may lead us to question the legitimacy of these events despite their positive origins.
Society and Social Organization
Characteristics of the Modern State
Monopoly of Power
We are talking about a particular institution within the state. Its features include:
- It is a political entity, a sovereign, and impersonal.
- It has the highest power within its territory.
- It has power over laws governing various issues, such as taxes, charges, awards, rights, and obligations.
A unified power structure must be legitimate. This is achieved through bureaucracy, a hierarchical organization created to manage public affairs through the work of civil servants.
Social Standards
Rules of Coexistence: Types of Standards
Human beings have established three types of rules to guide our behavior in society:
- Moral standards: Every individual should have moral standards on how to act as a human being. Each individual must act consciously and freely, striving for happiness.
- Rules of law: Every political community has established local authorities aimed at all people. Political power can be used to enforce these rules, even through violence. Laws and regulations are in force in the field of law.
- Social traditions: These are customs and traditions. They do not have the legal force of laws or the moral obligation of moral rules. Rules of courtesy also fall under this category.
Sometimes, laws, moral traditions, and societal norms can conflict. For example, duels were once a common practice but are now illegal.
Arguments Legitimizing Political Power
We can ask whether political authorities are legitimate. Are they necessary for the proper functioning of society? Are social hierarchies between governors and the governed legitimate? Is the invention of state institutions morally legitimate, or is it a necessary evil?
- Theological argument: Political power was believed to come from God. Certain hierarchies were established among humans.
- Natural argument: Humans naturally need to live in a political community, like bees in a beehive. This community inevitably needs authorities, and members must comply with their directives. According to Aristotle, families could hardly survive if they remained small and isolated. However, if they were part of a political community, humans could not only survive but also thrive.
- Functionalist argument: Political power is useful for maintaining social order and peaceful coexistence, as argued by Hobbes. Even anarchist philosophers, who oppose states, recognize that political power is necessary for existence and that the assembly should choose its leaders from time to time. This would be the role of political power.
Legitimacy of Political Power Throughout History
Main Types of Political Power
Aristotle, the political philosopher, classified political regimes based on two criteria: whether they benefit all or part of society. He argued that each village should choose a legitimate system based on its historical and social situation.
Social Contract Theory
This perspective emphasizes the individual as the key to social and political order. The idea of an agreement or arrangement between individuals has become a widely used model for political justification.
Social contract theory describes an initial state of nature, from which the need for a state arises.