The peculiarities of the authority phenomenon definition in the tradition of post-modernism philosophy

The article considers the definition of the authority within the postmodernist conceptualization in which the authority phenomenon is highlighted not simply as an element of the research, but the object and the subject of great attention of the researcher where all social relations are interesting in the extent in which they represent the authority. As theoretical base of research the works of key figures of the French postmodernist philosophy were used, such as M.Fuko, J.Bodrijjar, J.Delez, J.-F. Liotar. In this work the author points out three levels of the authority phenomenon definition in the tradition of postmodernism philosophy: reverse definition, positive and critical consideration of the following phenomenon. The first level represents the definition of authority through critical remarks of representatives of postmodernist concept of the authority on the positions of different variations of the causal concept of the authority. In fact, the postmodernism philosophy positions itself within this distinction. It is concluded that no significant differences were observed within this reverse level of the authority phenomenon consideration in postmodernism tradition, according to authors' interpretations. Within the second level the fundamentals in the definition of the authority phenomenon offered by postmodernism philosophy are represented. The authority phenomenon is considered as bilateral: on the one hand, the authority is carried out through already existing structures and their elements (authority institutes, state machine, subjects of the authority), on the other hand, - it creates these structures and elements of realization of the authority (the micro level of the authority). The comprehension of the authority offered by the postmodernism concept has a claim on disclosure of the fundamental bases of society and all its institutes, including the authority institutes. In the postmodernist concept of the authority the traditional authority definition deals not with the authority itself, but with the results of its effects. The third level that is marked out in the authority phenomenon research within the tradition of postmodernism philosophy is connected with divergences from such tradition in the authority definition. Here the basic critical remarks in relation to the authority definition in postmodernism philosophy are given by the representatives of this tradition. On this level three problems related to the interpretation of the authority phenomenon offered in the postmodernist conceptualisation were revealed: the problem of the choke hold, the problem of resistance to the authorities and the problem of endless dispersion of the authority.

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