While some people are celebrating the triumphant comeback of various forms of authoritarianism, others are concerned about the masses’ increasing deference to authority.
From Sigmund Freud to Erich Fromm, from Hannah Arendt to Slavoj Žižek: philosophy, psychoanalysis and politics have always wondered about the nature of authority and how it is legitimised.
But what does the word »authoritarian« actually mean? Can we make a distinction between different forms of authoritarianism? Who do we acknowledge as an authority, and to whom do we willingly subject ourselves? Is there a right to obey or a duty to resist?
If it is true that authority is necessary, then rejecting it wholesale is not enough. We must understand who we must obey when.