Authority

John Rodriguez er den nyansatte leder af statsagenturet Southern Reach, der har til opgave at bevogte det mystiske vildnis kaldet Area X. John modtager ordrer fra sin ukendte chef, 'Stemmen', der lige fra første dag på jobbet sætter John til at håndtere efterchokkene fra den fejlslåede tolvte ekspedition af Area X. Efter at have gennemgået en række forhør, en samling af skjulte noter og timevis af dybt foruroligende videooptagelser i "Authority", begynder John at gennemskue nogle af Area Xs mange hemmeligheder. Hver opdagelse han gør sig, tvinger ham dog til at se skræmmende sandheder i øjnene om sig selv og om den virksomhed han har svoret sit troskab til. "Authority" er andet bind i Southern Reach-trilogien og er den både facinerende og foruroligende fortsættelse til romanen "Annihilation"

John Rodriguez er den nyansatte leder af statsagenturet Southern Reach, der har til opgave at bevogte det mystiske vildnis kaldet Area X. John modtager ordrer fra sin ukendte chef, 'Stemmen', der lige fra første dag på jobbet sætter John til at håndtere efterchokkene fra den fejlslåede tolvte ekspedition af Area X. Efter at have gennemgået en række forhør, en samling af skjulte noter og timevis af dybt foruroligende videooptagelser i "Authority", begynder John at gennemskue nogle af Area Xs mange hemmeligheder. Hver opdagelse han gør sig, tvinger ham dog til at se skræmmende sandheder i øjnene om sig selv og om den virksomhed han har svoret sit troskab til. "Authority" er andet bind i Southern Reach-trilogien og er den både facinerende og foruroligende fortsættelse til romanen "Annihilation"

What is authority? How is it constituted? How ought one understand the subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) relations between authority and coercion? Between authorized and subversive speech? In this fascinating and intricate analysis, Bruce Lincoln argues that authority is not an entity but an effect. More precisely, it is an effect that depends for its power on the combination of the right speaker, the right speech, the right staging and props, the right time and place, and an audience historically and culturally conditioned to judge what is right in all these instances and to respond with trust, respect, and even reverence. Employing a vast array of examples drawn from classical antiquity, Scandinavian law, Cold War scholarship, and American presidential politics, Lincoln offers a telling analysis of the performance of authority, and subversions of it, from ancient times to the present. Using a small set of case studies that highlight critical moments in the construction of authority, he goes on to offer a general examination of "corrosive" discourses such as gossip, rumor, and curses; the problematic situation of women, who often are barred from the authorizing sphere; the role of religion in the construction of authority; the question of whether authority in the modern and postmodern world differs from its premodern counterpart; and a critique of Hannah Arendt's claims that authority has disappeared from political life in the modern world. He does not find a diminution of authority or a fundamental change in the conditions that produce it. Rather, Lincoln finds modern authority splintered, expanded, and, in fact multiplied as the mechanisms for its construction become more complex--and more expensive.

What is authority? How is it constituted? How ought one understand the subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) relations between authority and coercion? Between authorized and subversive speech? In this fascinating and intricate analysis, Bruce Lincoln argues that authority is not an entity but an effect. More precisely, it is an effect that depends for its power on the combination of the right speaker, the right speech, the right staging and props, the right time and place, and an audience historically and culturally conditioned to judge what is right in all these instances and to respond with trust, respect, and even reverence. Employing a vast array of examples drawn from classical antiquity, Scandinavian law, Cold War scholarship, and American presidential politics, Lincoln offers a telling analysis of the performance of authority, and subversions of it, from ancient times to the present. Using a small set of case studies that highlight critical moments in the construction of authority, he goes on to offer a general examination of "corrosive" discourses such as gossip, rumor, and curses; the problematic situation of women, who often are barred from the authorizing sphere; the role of religion in the construction of authority; the question of whether authority in the modern and postmodern world differs from its premodern counterpart; and a critique of Hannah Arendt's claims that authority has disappeared from political life in the modern world. He does not find a diminution of authority or a fundamental change in the conditions that produce it. Rather, Lincoln finds modern authority splintered, expanded, and, in fact multiplied as the mechanisms for its construction become more complex--and more expensive.

Authority is one of the key issues in political studies, for the question of by what right one person or several persons govern others is at the very root of political activity. In selecting key readings for this volume Joseph Raz concerns himself primarily with the moral aspect of political authority, choosing pieces that examine its justification, determine who is subject to it and who is entitled to hold it, and whether there are any general moral limits to it. The readings--by such modern political thinkeres as Robert Paul Wolff, H. L. A. Hart, G. E. M. Anscombe, and Ronald Dworkin--examine the basic moral issues and provide an essential introduction to the debate about the nature of authority for all students of political theory.

Authority is one of the key issues in political studies, for the question of by what right one person or several persons govern others is at the very root of political activity. In selecting key readings for this volume Joseph Raz concerns himself primarily with the moral aspect of political authority, choosing pieces that examine its justification, determine who is subject to it and who is entitled to hold it, and whether there are any general moral limits to it. The readings--by such modern political thinkeres as Robert Paul Wolff, H. L. A. Hart, G. E. M. Anscombe, and Ronald Dworkin--examine the basic moral issues and provide an essential introduction to the debate about the nature of authority for all students of political theory.