Social Stratification and the Political Order

Social status and stratification are examined in relation to the political order, seen as the hierarchy of political interests or of public respect. Social status and stratification, in their modern sense, are them presented as based on the respect which individuals grant each other in private life. They become meaningful conceptions in a society when there is a divergence between privately held standards and those which prevail politically. The functions of social stratification are then discussed, which include the main-tenance of intermediate authority. A scale of three examples of this authority is presented.