ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the problem of authority is identified as a key problem in all discussions on the tension between the individual and society. It is drawn out from the issues that arise in political philosophy when addressing the tension between the individual and society. Then, Rousseau, Dewey, and Freire are used as lynchpins for an analysis of the problem of authority so that the problem can be addressed in future chapters of the book. First, their conceptions of democratic education are briefly introduced to illustrate how they were employed as models to dissolve or minimise the tension between the individual and society by building the individual into the political model from their formative years and throughout adulthood. Then, the problem of authority as it manifests and as it remains within these political models is explored, thereby establishing the foundations of what needs addressing in the subsequent chapters.
