Authority and Its Enemies

Ideological warfare against authority, especially in the world of higher education, broke out in the 1960s, and continues into the 1990s. No source or symbol of authority escaped untouched-neither parents nor teachers nor the cop on the beat. While the hippies have gone underground or disappeared entirely, the assault on legitimate authority continues unabated. As familiar institutions crumble before our eyes, befuddled liberals and conservatives alike throw up their hands in despair. In Authority and Its Enemies, Thomas Molnar asserts that the Western world is reeling from an overdose of freedom without order or authority. "Prof. Molnar's densely written book demands concentration. . . . In the much needed debate over this large, complex problem of authority in family, church, school, and state Prof. Molnar makes a sobering, closely reasoned presentation of a conservative view. That is a contribution." - Edmund Fuller, The Wall Street Journal "Once more Professor Molnar displays the clear-headedness and prescience we have come to expect from him as an analyst of the cultural and political plight of the Western world today." - David Levy, The Alternative: An American Spectator "From the pen of Dr. Thomas Molnar now comes a new and important book on authority in American society. Authority is one of those fundamental realities that we all know perfectly well-until we try to define it and explain it. A brilliant and reliable philosopher, Dr. Molnar has the exceptional ability to do both." -Kenneth Baker. S. J., Homiletic and Pastoral Review