Today we are going to start a new topic: the origin and legitimacy of political power . In philosophy, we ask questions such as: Why do governments exist? Where does political authority come from? Why should we obey the law? Before studying the theories of philosophers like Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau, we will begin with a short activity. CONCEPTS 1. Authority 2. Common good 3. Citizenship 4. Social contract 5. State 6. State of nature 7. Legitimacy 8. Law 9. Power 10. Political power 11. Sovereignty 12. Natural theory of power 13. Contractualism 14. Coercion DEFINITIONS A. The highest authority within a state. B. The ability to influence or control the ...