| anarchism | the position that there is no conceivable justification for government
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| civil disobedience | an illegal action performed for the purpose of making a moral protest
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| dialectic | In Hegel and Marx, a historical process in which different opposing forces resolve their tension by bringing into being a new stage of history
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| meritocracy | A society in which political power is proportionate to merit
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| natural law theory | the theory that there is an objective moral law that transcends human conventions and decisions, governs individuals and the conduct of society, and can be known through reason and experience on the basis of the natural order of the world and the built-in tendencies of human nature
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| right | a justified claim to something, usually implying that others have certain duties with respect to the possessor of the right
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| social contract theory | the theory that the justification of a government and its exercise of power is based on an explicit or implicit agreement made between the individuals who live under that government or between the citizens and the government
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| theoretical anarchism | the theory that government has no legitimate authority even though we may have to tolerate its existence as a matter of practical necessity
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2003 McGraw-Hill Higher Education