… is from page 27 of University of Maryland philosopher Dan Moller’s 2019 book, Governing Least:
[I]t remains unclear how, when I stand outside your home and wish to perform what would otherwise be a horrible violation, simply calling enough neighbors and signing some documents could transmute my violation into a permissible act.
DBx: Note that the argument here is not that there are no tasks that are legitimate for the state to carry out yet illegitimate for individuals in their private capacities to carry out. Instead, the argument is that mere mob agreement – even if the mob is a superficially peaceful democratic majority – is insufficient to give moral legitimacy to actions that are morally illegitimate.
