The Problem of Political Authority - An Examination of the Right to Coerce and the Duty to Obey - A talk with Prof. Michael Huemer

Michael Huemer (University of Colorado, Boulder)

Prof. Michael Huemer will present a talk based on his book The Problem of Political Authority: An Examination of the Right to Coerce and the Duty to Obey. The central question is deceptively simple: what, if anything, gives a state the moral right to coerce its citizens—and do citizens ever have a moral duty to obey the law?

Huemer critically examines familiar justifications for political authority—such as social contract, democratic legitimacy, and appeals to public good—and asks whether they actually succeed in grounding a special moral status for governments. If those arguments fail, the implications are significant: coercive state power may require the same kind of justification we demand of individuals, and obedience to law may be a matter of independent moral reasons rather than a standing duty owed to the state.

The talk will be followed by Q&A and open discussion. Talk begins at noon Eastern time.