Editing Authority (section)

===Max Weber on authority===<!-- [[Herrschaft (sociology)]] redirects here -->
{{See also|Monopoly on violence}}
[[Max Weber]], in his sociological and philosophical work, identified and distinguished three types of legitimate domination (''Herrschaft'' in German, which generally means 'domination' or 'rule'), that have sometimes been rendered in English translation as types of authority, because English-speakers do not see [[Dominance (ethology)|domination]] as a political concept.{{Citation needed|date=March 2014}} Weber defined domination (authority) as the chance of commands being obeyed by a specifiable group of people.  Legitimate authority is that which is recognized as legitimate and justified by both the ruler and the ruled. Legitimated rule results in what Weber called the monopoly over the use of coercive violence in a given territory.<ref>Max Weber in Weber's Rationalism and Modern Society, translated and edited by Tony Waters and Dagmar Waters, Palgrave Books 2015, pp. 136 {{ISBN?}}</ref>  In the modern world, such authority is typically delegated to the police and the court system.

{{Main|Tripartite classification of authority|The Three Types of Legitimate Rule}}
Weber divided legitimate authority into three types:

*The first type discussed by Weber is ''[[legal-rational authority]]''. It is that form of authority which depends for its [[Legitimacy (political)|legitimacy]] on formal rules and established laws of the state, which are usually written down and are often complex.<ref>TY  - CHAP

AU  - Guzman, Sebastian

PY  - 2007/02/01

SP  - 1

EP  - 2

N2  - Rational legal authority is a concept developed by Max Weber (1864–1920) to explain the stability of domination in modern times, especially in bureaucracies and democracies. A ruler is or has rational-legal authority when she is perceived as legitimate by her subjects on the grounds that she has been given right to issue commands by formal rules or laws. This entry defines the concept in relation to Weber's more general understanding of domination and other types of legitimate domination, explains the usefulness of the concept from a Weberian perspective, and presents some of the main criticisms of the concept.

T1  - Rational Legal Authority

DO  - 10.1002/9781405165518.wbeosr026.pub2

ER  -</ref>
A [[constitution]] may define the extent of the power of rational-legal authority. Modern societies depend on legal-rational authority. Government officials are the best example of this form of authority, which is prevalent all over the world.
{{Conservatism sidebar}}
*The second type of authority, ''[[traditional authority]]'', derives from long-established customs, habits and social structures. When power passes from one generation to another, it is known as traditional authority. The rule of hereditary [[Monarchy|monarchs]] furnishes an obvious example. The [[Tudor dynasty]] in England and the ruling families of [[Mewar]] in [[Rajasthan]] (India) are examples of traditional authority. In ''[[Economy and Society]]'' (1921) Weber clarifies a distinction among three terms (as he defined them): [[Patriarchy]], [[Patrimonialism]] depending on the sole authority of an [[Absolute Monarch]] (Emperor, Empress, King, Queen) and Patrimonialism where the [[Divine right of kings|divine right]] of the sole ruler is somewhat modified by [[feudal]] aristocratic legitimate authority (e.g. feudal barons in England). The feudal variant of Patrimonial legitimate authority is characteristic of Tudor England. But the earlier variant of Patrimonial legitimate authority is the most widespread form of traditional authority structures ("systems") in world history. Reinhard Bendix discusses these distinctions. [citation below].
* The third form of authority is ''[[charismatic authority]]''. Here, the [[charisma]] of an individual or of a [[leader]] plays an important role. Charismatic authority is authority which is derived from the leader's claims to a higher power or inspiration that is supported by his or her followers. An example in this regard can be [[NT Rama Rao]], a [[matinée idol]] who became one of the most powerful Chief Ministers of [[Andhra Pradesh]]. Charismatic authority is also attributed to religious innovators like [[Siddharta Gautama]] (as the "Buddha") and [[Yeshua of Nazareth]] (as a or the Masiach-[[Messiah]].)

History has witnessed several [[social movement]]s or [[revolution]]s against a system of traditional or legal-rational authority started by charismatic authorities. According to Weber, what distinguishes authority from [[coercion]], [[Force (law)|force]] and [[Coercion|power]] on the one hand, and [[leadership]], [[persuasion]] and [[Social influence|influence]] on the other hand, is legitimacy. Superiors, he states, feel that they have a right to issue commands; subordinates perceive an obligation to obey (see also [[Milgram experiment]]). Social scientists{{who|date=November 2010}} agree that authority is but one of several resources available to incumbents in formal positions.{{Citation needed|date=November 2010}} For example, a Head of State is dependent upon a similar nesting of authority. His legitimacy must be acknowledged, not just by citizens, but by those who control other valued resources: his immediate staff, his cabinet, military leaders and in the long run, the administration and political apparatus of the entire society.

Authority can be created expressly when public entities act publicly, using the same means to communicate the grant of authority to their agents that they use to communicate this to third parties, apparent authority describes the situation when a principal has placed restrictions on an agent that are not known to a third party, and restrictions on government agents are accomplished in the open, through laws and regulations. In this setting, all parties concerned are assumed or supposed to know the laws and regulations of the government.

Recently the concept of authority has also been discussed as a guiding principle in human-machine interaction design.<ref>Flemisch, F., Heesen, M., Hesse, T., Kelsch, J., Schieben, A., & Beller, J. (2011). [https://doi.org/10.1007%2Fs10111-011-0191-6 Towards a Dynamic Balance between Humans and Automation: Authority, Ability, Responsibility and Control in Cooperative Control Situations]. ''Cognition, Technology and Work''. Advance online publication. {{doi|10.1007/s10111-011-0191-6}}</ref>

Genetic research indicates that obedience to authority may be a heritable factor.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ludeke |first1=Steven |last2=Johnson |first2=Wendy |last3=Bouchard |first3=Thomas J. |date=2013-08-01 |title="Obedience to traditional authority:" A heritable factor underlying authoritarianism, conservatism and religiousness |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0191886913001384 |journal=Personality and Individual Differences |volume=55 |issue=4 |pages=375–380 |doi=10.1016/j.paid.2013.03.018 |issn=0191-8869}}</ref>