Étienne de La Boétie's Sociological Insights and the Dual Nature of Obedience

ABSTRACT This paper reexamines Étienne de La Boétie's Discourse of Voluntary Servitude as a foundational yet underappreciated contribution to sociological thought. La Boétie identified two key explanations for the persistence of voluntary servitude: the force of custom and ideological manipulation, alongside a rational calculation of benefits within a hierarchical chain of complicity. Although these explanations appear to present an inherent tension—one emphasizing irrational submission and the other strategic collaboration—this paper argues that La Boétie sought to capture the dual nature of obedience: both voluntary and structural, with distinctive primacy accorded to the voluntary, interest‐based dimension. By analyzing and integrating these two dimensions, this study positions La Boétie as a pioneering figure offering a proto‐sociological analysis of domination, anticipating modern theories of power that incorporate its ideological and material foundations.