The words “power” and “authority” have many shades of meaning and their relationship to each other can be subtle or complex. Nonetheless, it is worthwhile to examine some of their basic and important implications in the moral sphere.
We all have certain powers. We have the power to breathe, walk, talk, and so on. Such powers are not regarded as moral. We do not need authorization in order to exercise them. We have other powers that do require authorization. These powers are moral and come into clear focus when we involve ourselves in the lives of other people. We have the power to steal from others, though we do not have the authority to do so. In the moral sphere, power and authority should harmonize.
A man has the power to impregnate a woman. What authorizes the use of this power is complex, including marriage, mutual consent, and the willingness to accept all the responsibilities that go with fatherhood and motherhood. The unauthorized use of sex is one of the most common acts of immorality.
Power without authority is one way of identifying an issue, namely bullying, that has received a great deal of attention of late. The bully does not have the authority to exercise his power, either physical or mental, over others. Looking at bullying in this light should make us realize that there are many forms of bullying other than what the Media reports as bullying. The question should be raised, which almost never is, whether an abortionist is authorized to use his power to take the life of an unborn child. A correlative question is whether a medical doctor is ever authorized to exercise his power to kill a patient (“physician assisted suicide” is really an act of killing on the part of the physician).
It is not likely that there will be much progress in ending campus or Internet bullying without confronting the basic flaw of bullying which is the unauthorized use of power over others. Bullying is inseparable from many other immoral acts that have the same profile. A collective effort should be made to reduce, and potentially eliminate, all forms of bullying. We cannot afford to be myopic when it comes to dealing with the unauthorized use of power, which surely can include governmental acts of bullying citizens.
Power that has moral implications needs to be married to legitimate authority. A medical doctor earns his authority to practice his art through long years of apprenticeship. His license to practice medicine is given to him in recognition of his properly acquired authority. In this case, as well as in many other arts and sciences, the melding of power and authority is understood as a person being responsible.
Jesus Christ offers an interesting and effective stance in this matter because He represents authority without power. He has power available to Him, but in the moral domain prefers to renounce His power so that his authority becomes more authentic and even more appealing. He does not want to force anyone to be moral, an approach that would be in vain. By renouncing power He places Himself in a position in which He cannot be accused of using excessive power, that is, of being authoritarian. In this way, He respects our freedom and allows us to choose what is good on our own. He shines the light, and invites us to follow it. Mahatma Gandhi and Rev. Martin Luther King are well-known examples of being moral authority figures without using power. It is the way of inspiring others to follow what is good, in unfettered freedom.
The example of authority without power can be beneficial in the effort to reduce bullying. If we can see the beauty of moral action and choose it on our own accord, we will be less likely to use power without authority. The paradox, then, is this, that for the Christian especially, authority without power can inspire us to use our own power with authority.
Dr. Donald DeMarco is a Senior Fellow of Human Life International. He is professor emeritus at St. Jerome’s University in Waterloo, Ontario, an adjunct professor at Holy Apostles College in Cromwell, CT, and a regular columnist for St. Austin Review. His latest works, How to Remain Sane in a World That is Going Mad and Poetry That Enters the Mind and Warms the Heart are available through Amazon.com.
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