I know it’s semantics (er…is it diction?) and at the end of the day pretty pedantic, but this is the first time I’ve seen the suggestion that hierarchy necessitates authority, and that authority necessitates compulsion (or an institution, or a command/control relationship). I mean yeah, they definitely have those connotations, for sure. And maybe in the context of anarchist theory, this is their functional definition.
But in a general sense, we still have hierarchies that are completely outside of the realm of social organization, like top down hierarchical categorization of…things…right? Like, stuff? And similarly, we have authorities that aren’t necessarily relevant to compulsion, like an authority on a particular niche subject. I guess we’re compelled to believe them, but, I dunno…
I’m kinda thinking out loud here. But I guess if I met, say, a master woodworker, and she was guiding me through building a bookshelf, I’d still say she is the authority over my actions, even if I decided to do something contrary to her commands. For sure, she has the right to tell me how to build the bookshelf – she is the expert, I recognize the authority over me in this matter – and she retains the authority even if I defy her. Idk maybe I’m talking about a different definition of authority.
I know it’s semantics (er…is it diction?) and at the end of the day pretty pedantic, but this is the first time I’ve seen the suggestion that hierarchy necessitates authority, and that authority necessitates compulsion (or an institution, or a command/control relationship). I mean yeah, they definitely have those connotations, for sure. And maybe in the context of anarchist theory, this is their functional definition.
But in a general sense, we still have hierarchies that are completely outside of the realm of social organization, like top down hierarchical categorization of…things…right? Like, stuff? And similarly, we have authorities that aren’t necessarily relevant to compulsion, like an authority on a particular niche subject. I guess we’re compelled to believe them, but, I dunno…
I’m kinda thinking out loud here. But I guess if I met, say, a master woodworker, and she was guiding me through building a bookshelf, I’d still say she is the authority over my actions, even if I decided to do something contrary to her commands. For sure, she has the right to tell me how to build the bookshelf – she is the expert, I recognize the authority over me in this matter – and she retains the authority even if I defy her. Idk maybe I’m talking about a different definition of authority.