David Owens (Kings College, London): 'Rules and Rulers'
Social authorities such as bureaucrats, judges, employers and even parents demand our obedience. Demands for obedience come in two forms. First authorities issue commands meant to bind us to obey. Second authorities frequently threaten to enforce their commands by coercion, to extract obedience by force. Liberals have long regarded demands for obedience as especially problematic but it remains unclear why being ordered about is any worse than being subject to social rules that require us to behave in various ways. I explain why demanding obedience is especially problematic using the idea that someone who demands your obedience seeks to assume responsibility for your compliance with their order.
