Embed Notice

If I were to stop you on the street, brandish a gun, and tell you that I was taking you to a cage, I would probably be understood as a “kidnapper.”

If a police officer were to do the same thing, the police officer’s actions would be “legitimate.” Other police officers would likely assist rather than interfere. A judge would probably agree and endorse the action. If the police were to bring you to a prison, the prison officials would likely cage rather than free you. Civil authorities would ensure the police officer receives a paycheck. The news media would probably ignore or even praise the police officer’s actions.

That’s what Weber means by “legitimacy”: the measure that all the various actors that make up the state will support rather than oppose each other.

5/