Antigone: political authority Political power derives from the fear of force. The individual acts out of fear of the consequences of disobedience and in accordance with the desire for self-preservation. Political authority derives from a belief in the moral correctness of the organization in question. The individual acts with a sense of obligation and recognizes the ruler's right, morally, to govern and accepts the moral correctness of the laws. The laws are respected for themselves. In Antigone, Sophocles suggests that there is no basis for political authority: that Creon's citizens obey him out of fear of the consequences of disobedience. Ismene obeys his edict because she fears death. The soldier denounces the attempted burial of Polyneices and brings the captured Antigone to Creon to "save his sweet skin". The choir believes that no one would risk death for political, moral or religious goals. Antigone totally rejects Creon's authority: "these laws were not made in heaven," she says, and I must not obey the laws of human beings. He acts this way because he doesn't respect authority and because he doesn't fear death. Haemon appeals to Creon on the basis of power: he suggests that public opinion is against Creon and Creoinus is in danger of losing his power as king. Only Creon and Tireseas recognize the issue of political authority. And with both, it's unclear whether authority might be the motivator, because in both situations, issues of authority are tied to issues of power and personal gain. As the choir comments: is it possible to sublimate one's personal desires for the public good? If not, then power is the only way to maintain public order. Socrates asks how can an organization, which by its very nature must act immorally (e.g., allow injustice) have moral authority? Since a political community must require its citizens to accept, without question, (at least sometimes) its basic assumptions and must demand obedience to its laws for the community to continue to survive and thrive, it must stifle individual human beings in their search for knowledge..