he describes the influence of aristotle and ibrahim lincoln. the class debates how moral truth relates to law decided by majority. this class is about and hour and a half. prof. arkes: let's do a bit of a recap, because we have people joining us now, and an audience coming in for the first moments of this course when we are still setting the groundwork. remember, this course is called political obligation." it takes its title from the defining cutting-edge of political life. the defining mark of the political order is the presence of law, the task to make decisions that are binding and everyone that comes in the territory. the root of obligations, obligare, the latin, the same as bind. the defining character of the law is it does bind, it sweeps away personal taste, private choice, overwrite private beliefs to enforce a uniform rule. unless we see just a brute exercise of power, establishes its own justification. those creatures have given understanding, inclined by how do you justify the state of affairs in which some people with the authority