Reponse to Roger Scruton on Hierarchy

Waldmark, 05 May 2008

On the Right Reason, a weblog for philosophical conservatism, the conservative political philosopher Roger Scruton posted an article about authority, called 'The Question of Authority.' This is my reply.

Authority is a tool used by politicians, but we should not, I think, confine authority to politics. Authority has to do with hierarchy. I agree that many left wing oriented people have great difficulty with accepting authority, but that is not primarily because of the power the opposition yields as a result of being in authority. The aversion stems from the much deeper settled motivation of being opposed to hierarchy.

Hierarchy proclaims that not all people are equal (whether in power or wealth or opportunity or whatever) and that is, to most left wing people, unacceptable. Right wing people, although many of them would also vote against the concept of unequality, are more inclined to accept authority because they believe that institutions, governments, businesses, even family, simply cannot function without.
Society requires order. Order implies hierarchy. Without order, there is chaos and without hierarchy, there is no order.

Authority, then, is being or functioning at a higher level in a specific hierarchy then the levels below. Power is an attribute of authority. So is influence. Respect. Awe. Also the fact that it triggers resentment and rebellion.

Some people assume authority. Other are granted authority. Still others accept it.
My belief is that in terms of “human rights” all people are indeed equal. But in terms of opportunity or health or capability or ancestry or upbringing or access to education, they are not. Being in a position of authority often comes as a result of these unequal opportunities. Because of unequal opportunities, some people wear authority with more grace or more naturally, than others.

All of these are grounds for many left wing people to rebel against authority. But the minute I would say that God is the ultimate authority, I’m sure that many right wing people would protest just as ferociously.

So if we limit authority to power and politics, indeed, left wing people are more inclined to protest against the concept of authority and the people representing it. But if we define authority as a factor in the relationship between mankind and God, then people from all over the world, irrespective of political alignment, will express great reluctance about its desirability.

Personally, I believe there is order in the universe and that this order was first established, and is now maintained, by authority. And so it is in society. Leaving us to either accept it, or reject it.