An Introduction to Mill’s Theory of Authority

Abstract

The object of this essay is to define a new approach to the controversial theory of authority John Stuart Mill first stated in The Spirit of the Age (1831).¹ No doubt the notion of authority is itself one of the most controversial and confusing concepts in political thought. It is therefore well worth emphasizing at the very outset of this study that Mill was concerned with authority in a highly specific sense. He did not identify it with the legitimate possession of coercive power, as twentieth-century social science has for the most part. Rather, he was concerned with deference on the part of some persons to the moral and political beliefs of others. Mill, that is to say, was concerned with believing on authority; and this involved more exactly: (1) believing the opinions of someone else even though the believer does not, or even cannot, comprehend the particular grounds on which those opinions are supposed by the latter person to rest, (2) because of some characteristic of the person thus deferred to, such as his social standing or religious claims, by virtue of which his opinions are taken by the believer to be credible.

This essay is part of a work in progress, and, as it deals with certain highly speculative matters, I regard it as subject to revision. I wish to express my gratitude to Mr. Hubert Forbes, Professor Michael Oakeshott, and Mr. J. B. Schneewind for conversations which helped me to understand my subject better, and to The International Dimensions Program of the University of Pittsburgh for a grant that permitted me to study in London.