1. By ‘formally competent authorities’ I understand authorities who derive their competence from e.g. having been appointed. Their competence is independent of the substantive quality of their norm-giving activities. On the other hand, materially competent authorities, such as generally respected wise (wo)men, derive their competence from the quality of their opinions and a general reliance on their wisdom.
2. Cf. G.H. von Wright, 1963, p.86.
3. Von Wright, 1963, p.86. I add that Von Wright’s position on the difference between weak and strong permission is somewhat wavering. In 1968, p.85 ff., he substantially returns (on this point) to his position of 1951.
4. See, e.g., O. Weinberger, 1970–2, p.206: ‘When within a system’
5. of norms A is permitted explicitly ..... and a prohibition of A is given, then there is a logical conflict in the system; but if A is only permitted (because not forbidden), then the prohibition of A can be given without any conflict’. See also Chr. Weinberger and O. Weinberger, 1979, p.116, 117.