Absolutism

Within any given political order, the buck always stops somewhere. Sovereignty is conserved. If a sovereign can be restrained, then whatever restrains him is the real sovereign. Liberalism cannot abolish sovereignty any more than it can abolish hierarchy; it merely conceals it. Concealed power, precisely because it is hidden from scrutiny and denied in principle, tends to act badly.

Absolutism means the head in a given sphere must actually have final authority in that sphere, that he truly be king of his castle. A ruler who may always be overruled by rival centers, procedural abstractions, or hidden interpreters is not really ruling at all.

Absolutism is therefore the precondition of localism. At each level, someone must be clearly in charge, free to govern his local context without paralysis by endless appeal and procedural sclerosis. Only where authority is settled can lower orders breathe. If you want government to be smaller in reach, you should want it to be stronger in form at every level.

The earliest form of law was the absolute command of the house father, the domus potus, addressed to wife, children, and dependents. The household was a little kingdom, church, and court at once. The clan chieftain, tribal leader, and king were extensions of the same absolutist structure widened outward. Absolutism is at the very root of our tradition.