Abstract:

This essay focuses on how the concept of 'authority' is shaped in the context of conservatism, which is one of the most important traditions of Western social / political history of thought. The concept of 'authority', defined as a legitimate power, is at the intersection of social and political at the theoretical and practical level. In other words, conservatism addresses the issue of authority in a framework that transcends the limits of the political sphere, with reference to a religious or non-religious power to provide moral codes that individuals must comply with. This broad sense of the authority in the conservative mentality refers to a conceptual framework that requires the examination of the philosophical/theological, social and political levels at the same time and in the context of their mutual relations. For this reason, at first philosophical / theological arguments underlying the understanding of authority in the conservative thought will be discussed in the study. In the second part, the conservative social theory and the broader sense of 'authority' will be examined, in particular the relation between individual and society and the concept of 'social organic integrity' shaped in connection with these arguments. The last part will focus specifically on the issue of political authority and legitimacy.    

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