FILE SELECTED // FILE 00
Political Obligation
“A rule's legality does not settle whether there is a moral duty to obey it.”
01 / SUMMARY
In short
Political obligation asks whether people have a general duty to obey the law. Consent, fairness, gratitude, natural duty, and membership have been proposed, but none commands universal acceptance.
03 / SCENE
In the wild
Receiving public benefits may create reasons of reciprocity without making every state command morally binding.
04 / LIMIT
The limit
Denying a general obligation does not deny particular reasons to follow just or useful laws.
FINAL NOTE
What remains
Keep legal validity, institutional legitimacy, and moral duty distinct in each case.