Good Example Of Essay On Authority ( Do Not Examine Dialectic)

It is an article on authority and power by Lonergon, power is the authentic authority that governs society in terms of the authenticity with which it’s meaning and values informs a community. Authentic authority follows the values and meanings of transcendental precepts of being attentive, intelligent, reasoning and responsible. A government that acts authentically, and follows the transcendental perceptions to govern a state, or a community, in the most democratic way possible, can be said to hold, legitimate authority. An elected government that has the mandate of the people of that community, state, or country because of its authenticity can be said to have legitimate authority in informing its people. The government acts only after taking into consideration the various options or possibilities available to them by applying the transcendental perceptions of being attentive, intelligent, reasoning and responsible. For example, when a government introduces a policy or law that has a direct bearing on their subjects, it must understand how that policy is going to affect the community; how can they justify the community why they have to introduce the policy; and how is it going to serve them (the community) positively. Therefore, the government must address certain objections or suggestions that a community has toward policy-making. Some of these include, be attentive to voices that are heard in the community to any policy decision that they are going to take; be smart enough to justify why and how the policy will support the community through reasoning, and finally, take responsibility for any or all effects of the initiative.
Legitimate power is acceptable and preferred by all, as it gives a lot of importance to understanding the best possible solutions to address the needs of the community. It is not dictatorial, nor is it submissive, but it has the support of the community that knows that the government is committed to good governance, and pro-community. When a community, state, or country endorses the transcendental precepts of the government, it is sure that whatever they do, will be for the good of the community, state, or country. Therefore, there are no objections or conflict to whatever the government does for the community. In an extract taken from A Third Collection, 5-12, it says that “without cooperation between people, human life today would have been no different from those of the primitives. It wouldn’t be merely Preaurignacian, but would have resembled the isolated people recently discovered in the forest rain-country in the Philippines.” The power of governance has come by way of experience that has accumulated, developed, and integrated over time. Therefore, having seen what life has taught man over the centuries as to what his needs are, and how they should be addressed, today; these issues are addressed in a more authoritative way. Democratically elected governments know that when they are elected to power, it is their prerogative to support development and the needs of the community, state, or country, by adhering to the transcendental precepts that cover all areas to meet the criteria. It is this, the power vested on the government by the people, which make legitimate power to be authoritative.
Having discussed power, legitimate power, and what makes legitimate power to be authoritative, and keeping in mind the way they are intricately intertwined in meaning and value to inform the community, they are all directly related to the transcendental method in many ways. What makes transcendental method so important here is that, a transcendental method can be applied to any field of study such as chemistry, physics, biology, and mathematics, to name a few. All the above mentioned fields of study require keen interest, attentiveness, intelligence, reasoning and responsibility when researched. No formula is successful unless they are tested over a period in multiple facets before a result is achieved. There is a lot of permutation and combinations worked out before such a conclusive result is obtained. The same principle is applied to legitimate power. Legitimate power can be analogized to a time-tested formula in science. It is widely accepted and unchallenged. Thus, legitimate power is authority.