Abstract
This paper examines critically the instrumentalist theory of authority as developed by Joseph Raz. According to Raz’s “normal justification thesis” the authority provides its subjects with the tools to act in accordance with reason. In other words, it tells them what they have reason to do. This paper argues that this view cannot account for polit- ical authority. More specifically, political authority is a sui generis type of authority; it is fundamentally different from other forms of authority, and hence, it cannot be sub- sumed under the same normative framework as other types of authority. This is because political authority ought not only to guide individuals but also to represent them.
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