What if the Problem Can't Be Solved?

Consequences of the Insolubility of Political Obligation

• If the problem of political obligation can't be solved, then philosophical anarchism is true.

Philosophical Anarchism

• Philosophical anarchists vs. Political anarchists:
  • Political anarchists: Believe states are illegitimate and should be overthrown.
  • Philosophical anarchists: Believe we don't have an obligation to obey the law; they don't necessarily advocate for resistance or overthrow.
• Philosophical anarchists acknowledge practical reasons to comply with the law (e.g., personal and social costs of disobedience).
• Core belief: We don't have an obligation to obey the law simply because the law commands it.

Could We Ever Have an Obligation to Obey the Law?

• A point of disagreement among philosophical anarchists: Is the lack of obligation to obey the law a contingent fact (true as things currently are) or a necessary one (never possible under any circumstances)?
• This question relates to the nature of states.
• Could citizens ever establish a state to whose laws they have an obligation to obey? What characteristics would such a state possess to make this obligation possible?
• Questions about political obligation are connected to philosophical questions about the nature of states and the conditions under which they're legitimate.