Justification and Legitimacy(*). (philosophy of the state) A. John

Simmons.

Abstract: Different arguments are needed to show that a state is justified and that it is

legitimate. Justifying the state is associated with the treatises of 18th-century philosophers.

The Lockean approach to this issue captures features of institutional evaluation that the

Kantian approach does not. Standard justifications of the state are offered to those

motivated by objections to states.

Full Text: COPYRIGHT 1999 University of Chicago

In this article I will discuss the relationship between two of the most basic ideas in political

and legal philosophy: the justification of the state and state legitimacy. I plainly cannot aspire

here to a complete account of these matters, but I hope to be able to say enough to motivate

or authoritative, or regard the regime as lawful, exemplary, morally acceptable, or

political philosophy ... is whether there should be any state at all. Why not have anarchy? ...

should at least be taken also to be accomplished if we can show that one or more specific

properties of the state that produce feelings of allegiance or support, so that legitimacy can

those against whom the state enforces the duties it imposes (though the state is, of course,

have noted, they mostly take themselves to be following Weber, who famously attempted to

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 10364
Approximate Pages = 41 (250 words per page double spaced)