The Notion of Authority

In The Notion of Authority, written in the1940s in Nazi-occupied France, Alexandre Kojeve uncovers the conceptual premisesof four primary models of authority,examining the practical application of theirderivative variations from the Enlightenment to Vichy France.

This foundational text, translated here intoEnglish for the first time, is the missing piece in any discussion of sovereignty and politicalauthority, worthy of a place alongside the work of Weber, Arendt, Schmitt, Agambenor Dumezil.

The Notion of Authority is a short andsophisticated introduction to Kojeve'sphilosophy of right.

It captures its author'sintellectual interests at a time when he wasretiring from the career of a professionalphilosopher and was about to become oneof the pioneers of the Common Market and the idea of the European Union.From the Hardcover edition.