E47 -

Michael Huemer joins us this week for a discussion on political authority, political obligation, and political legitimacy.

Hosts
Trevor Burrus
Research Fellow, Constitutional Studies
Aaron Ross Powell
Director and Editor
Guests

Michael Huemer is a professor of philosophy at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He writes about on philosophical skepticism, the problem of induction, ethical intuitionism, free will, and deontological ethics, and has taught courses in ethics, social philosophy, logic, epistemology, philosophy of science, and metaphysics.

Professor Michael Huemer claims that if normal people acted like governments do, we would generally be horrified and find their behavior morally contemptible…so why do most people intuitively feel that government is justified in its actions? Professor Huemer, Aaron, and Trevor tackle problems of political obligation, political legitimacy, and political authority, and explain the differences between each of these terms.

Show Notes and Further Reading

Michael Huemer, The Problem of Political Authority: An Examination of the Right to Coerce and the Duty to Obey (book)

Michael Huemer, Ethical Intuitionism (book)

Prof. Huemer’s personal web site.