Abstract
Abstract This chapter examines modern Western objections to both authority and dependence, in both cases on the grounds that they threaten human autonomy, which implies that we should minimize both authority and dependence whenever possible. The chapter includes historical overviews of the modern Western “flight from authority” as well as the gradual fragmentation and transformation of notions of dependence on others. It examines Maine on status and contract, Berlin on liberty, and Mill and others on the dangers of paternalism. The chapter analyzes the concepts of authority and autonomy through an engagement with Raz’s “service conception of authority,” arguing that early Confucians have a generally similar approach to the nature and value of authority, albeit with some important differences, which avoid some common objections to Raz’s views. The chapter closes with an overview of the rest of the book.
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