By whom?
Ummm…
Rulers are justified if they have authority. If you say, “I want to form a government,” and I agree, and we elect Brutus to be our President that is fine.
So authority comes from an agreement. Employers have authority over employees because of labor contracts, for example. There’s nothing wrong with a contractual government in which all parties sign on.
Where does the authority of a parent come from, then? Is parental rule unjustified if the child disagrees?
Consent is necessary to form a government.
So are governments formed without consent not governments at all, but merely criminal gangs?
Precisely. So please don’t appeal to tradition or history.
Okay. Maybe someday I’ll understand logic and epistemology, so I won’t have to rely on lazy appeals.