When is it appropriate to question authority? When is it inappropriate not to do so?
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ANSWERS: 6
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An old, old question. In the Bible, Noah does not question God's purpose of the Flood, nor does Abraham question God's purpose to prepare to sacrifice his son Isaac, yet Abraham went on to play "Let's Make a Deal" with God to spare the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. In modern times, authority is questioned when a case is brought to appeals court, to determine whether the lower court erred in applying the law, or whether the law is errant. In between were millennia of kings, emperors and dictators from whom such second-guessing was rarely tolerated.
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bostjan the adequate 🥉 Few, if any, kings throughout history reigned unchallenged. 804 years ago (almost to the day), a king of England was forced by his subjects to sign a document that reserved some rights from the king. Up to that moment, he believed that being the king meant that there were no rules or limits, but, faced with only two options: sign this or we will cut off your head and someone else will be king - John decided to sign the Magna Carta and remain as a non-omni-potent king -
mushroom Sure, but this only applied to nobles. I never meant the Constitution just sprung up out of Adams' head (though it might appear that way in "1776" If I'm the one to do it / They'll run their quill pens through it")
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It is inappropriate not to question authority in matters of unequal treatment, however, it is inappropriate if doing so puts yourself or others in harm's way. An advocate is much more valuable than a martyr.
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bostjan the adequate 🥉
I don't think I've ever seen truly equal treatment before. :(
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when theyre not doing whats right, any tirne otherwize its inappropriate
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Do you mean ask someone in authority questions or question their authority over you? I'm not good at this. A subordinate only has to follow an order if it is a "lawful order" other than that I have been trained to take orders and respect authority. On the other hand, there are not many in the civilian world these days who exert authority over me.
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bostjan the adequate 🥉
"To question authority" is an idiom meaning rejection of complacency based upon one's own moral standards. The idiom is roughly translate from the ancient Greek teachings of Socrates and gained popularity in the USA because of writings from Benjamin Franklin, but became a popular phrase again during the Vietnem War, often attributed to Timothy Leary (the guy who gave people LSD). It doesn't apply only to direct orders, but could be pointing out problems with an authority's legitimacy or disagreement with policy. For example, a Jewish person living in Israel might take exception to the law that Palestinians cannot be Israeli citizens, and it would be considered "questioning authority," even though the person in question is not directly called into action by the law. -
Linda Joy
Bla bla bla you didn't really answer my question, but I'll assume you mean someone has a problem with the law itself, in which case I think it needs to be challenged and changed within the system. Don't fight the law and don't disobey the law but go through the proper, lawful channels to change the law. Until its changed obey it as long as it doesn't conflict with GOD's law not just your opinion based on your feelings. If you can't do that move to where you can live in accord with God's laws. As for your long winded attempt at an explanation it still means you question someone in authority or you question their authority over you. -
bostjan the adequate 🥉
Hmm, so is it only appropriate to question authority when there is a direct conflict with a superior authority? Is it never inappropriate not to question authority?
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It's always appropriate to question authority and only sometimes outwardly let your question be known. May you have the wisdom to know the difference.
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Question authority when your rights are being violated or someone else is our don't question them when there's a gun pointed at your face
pearllederman 
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