Institutions can be justified without endorsement of their current form

Evidence

Tyrants rule ruthlessly and without regard for any public norms. Jackson and Rosberg underscore the fundamental qualities of African tyrannical rulers: Tyrants have ruled without any pretense to legitimacy or authority, and tyranny is therefore conceived as fundamentally illegitimate and unjust government in violation of any norms or rules or understandings… . [I]t is a mistake to consider that Tyrants enjoy “privileges” or exercise “responsibilities” or that subjects enjoy “rights” or exercise “obligation.” — Abdi Ismail Samatar, Africa’s First Democrats, 88 (#exemplifies, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Authority builds from accumulated past compliance without requiring ongoing justification; Tyranny governs without any pretense to legitimacy — Abdi Ismail Samatar, Africa’s First Democrats, 88; Constituted freedom still permits ranking rival institutional arrangements — Philip Pettit, Republicanism: A Theory of Freedom and…, 522 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• Authority builds from accumulated past compliance without requiring ongoing justification #expands (0.80)
• Tyranny governs without any pretense to legitimacy #exemplifies (0.72) — Abdi Ismail Samatar, Africa’s First Democrats, 88