Authoritarian

About

An authoritarian is someone who values individual authority (i.e. personal power) whether earned or assigned, over all other considerations. Authoritarians generally believe that an individual's authority overrides any rational objections which might be raised by the authority's subjects (i.e. individuals who are under the authority). Authoritarians tend to take the view that division is weakness, rather than seeing dissent as part of an honest effort to help one's country choose the right path.

There are two notable types of authoritarian:

• An authoritarian follower has a strong desire to follow an authoritarian leader and be protected by him (in Euro-derived culture, such leaders are almost always male).
• An authoritarian leader has a strong desire to have power over others, to exercise that power, and to be seen as perfect and invincible.

Related Pages

• anti-authoritarianism should redirect to anti-authoritarian (to be written)
  • prominent anti-authoritarians: Kazi Nazrul Islam
• powermonger
• reality inversion
• fascism

Research

• Bob Altemeyer: see The Authoritarians
• Jane Jacobs: see Systems of Survival

Quotes

• "More hideous crimes have been committed in the name of obedience than have ever been committed in the name of rebellion." – C.P. Snow, 1961