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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 November 2009
It is the contention of Robert Paul Wolff that we live under governments which have no right to govern us. Most of us of course believe that our governments have legitimate authority. We believe that by far the greater part of what our governments require of us they have the authority to require. Wolff insists that it does not follow from our belief that most, or at least many, governments rightfully govern, that in fact any government rightfully governs. He is right of course; it does not follow, unless our beliefs are true. And we might be mistaken. The question is, are we?
1 Wolff, R.P., In Defence of Anarchism (New York, 1970).Google Scholar
2 I want to thank A.R. Drengson and H.J.N. Horsburgh, who by their remarks on an earlier version of this paper forced me to make my argument clearer than it was. Perhaps they should not be happy with it still.
I should also like to thank the journal referees, who made helpful comments on the paper and kept me from two or three inaccuracies of detail. To take up and meet their comments I had briefly to study Wolff's essay again. In doing so I came upon assumptions the exposure of which seemed as important as what I had uncovered before. What is printed here as the latter two thirds of section v is thus indirectly the result of their prodding