Skiperskikh, A. V. Homo Politicus: Between Rebellion and Submission

Abstract: The author of the present article shares his thoughts on the choice between rebellion and submission made by human from time to time. Very often the choice made by man conflicts with the ruling authority which is interested in preventing de-legitimation by creating political institutions aimed at maintaining a consensus between the society and the government. However, these institutions cannot be all the way efficient because it is impossible to fully satisfy man’s need in justice. The author shows there can be certain moral reasons for man choosing to rebel. Rebellion and submission are very topical issues due to the objectivity of the authority itself and its countersand as a dialectical opposition. By using the political hermeneutic method and addressing to the writings of political philosophers studying this problem, the author tries to understand the reasons of such a moral choice. The author underlines that opposition to all initiatives of the authority is unavoidable because opposition is an essential part of the authority as it is. A choice of a particular man to either rebel or submit is also related to a particular political situation triggering a certain strategy of man’s behavior. Noteworthy that political transformations considerably increase chances for the radical model of behavior because the level of uncertainty grows and the hope for one’s own resources becomes evident. Quite on the contrary, periods of political stability significantly increases the need for opposition making man choose conformal models of interaction with the government.

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