Legitimacy and physical force are symbolically interlinked, not opposites

Evidence

As the upshot of all these reflections on the theme of physical force, it has to be borne in mind that the widespread idea of an opposition or a one-dimensional polarity, existing between legitimacy and physical force, or between consensus and coercion, is misleading. This idea seems to be concerned with a bourgeois construction which parallels the problem of situating the exercise of physical force in the present, which we have just dealt with. Such a concept is part of the power-code itself, is therefore a prescription for conduct, and suggests that the power-holder should always strive for consensus before using physical force. Such a statement is much too simple for a theory of power and, above all, as a conceptual instrument for the analysis of the relationship between generalizations and the compatibility/incompatibility of media symbols and symbiotic mechanisms. — Niklas Luhmann, Trust and Power, 717

Categorization

• DEFINE: Clarifies Luhmann’s rejection of the commonsense legitimacy-vs-force polarity, replacing it with symbolic interdependence.
• XREF: Directly relevant to the Stevens thesis: the consensus-vs-coercion binary being dissolved parallels how institutional deference and personal abandonment interpenetrate rather than oppose. — connects to: Routine life runs on institutionalized legitimate power, not on brutality; Physical force mediates power’s symbolic and organic levels, differentiating political power; Physical force achieves effects largely free of symbolic preconditions (+10 more)
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Niklas Luhmann, Trust and Power, 717

Broader Connections

• Power operates through symbolic influence while coercion abandons symbolic generalization #expands (0.60)
• Legal validity derives from normative authority, not from physical power alone. #expands (0.55) — Ronald M. Dworkin, The Model of Rules, 48
• Legal obligation differs from mere coercion by threat of force #expands (0.55) — Ronald M. Dworkin, The Model of Rules, 40
• Hegemony is rule achieved through consent rather than coercion #complicates (0.50) — Hall, Stuart, Essential Essays, Volume 1, 626