Hobbes and Raz, two opposing models of authority. Considerations about similarities, differences, and (lack of) practical utility
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to analyse two specific models of discourse on authority: a model that I will call «Hobbesian» (represented by Thomas Hobbes) and a model that I will call «Razian» (represented by Joseph Raz). On the one hand, I will try to show that, despite some apparent similarities, these two models are examples of opposing views about the type of authority, and the role and consequences assigned to it within the framework of the legal and social phenomenon. On the other hand, I will try to show how both opposing models have an important coincidence: the strong lack of interest in their eventual practical application to analyse the authority (especially, at the justification level) of real cases of States and legal systems.
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References
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