What the Hell Is...?

We hear the word authoritarian all the time these days, it seems: in the news, in pundit blog posts, all over social media. It's an ominous word, usually offered in ominous context: it's used in a way that carries a scent of danger.

Once we understand what an authoritarian is, and what authoritarianism itself really means, that ominous sense of danger is justified. Authoritarianism is a dangerous thing, and authoritarians enable it.

Authoritarianism has been with us for centuries, for millennia: it is the template for ruling over a population that has been implemented by countless kings, tyrants, and dictators, going back to the dawn of civilization. Authoritarian leaders, and the authoritarian followers who empower them, have always been with us.

Those of us who prefer freedom and self-determination can only push back against the authoritarian tide by understanding it. What follows in this introduction to the topic will hopefully be of some help in that important endeavor.