Authority is a prerequisite for education, and even more for life in society. Authority can exist only if its legitimacy is acknowledged by individuals to whom it is addressed. Nowadays, in European democracies, legitimacy must derive from fundamental rights of the individuals forming this society. The aim of this article is to combine those three introductory statements, calling up the notions of autonomy and kindness. Benevolent authority unfurls in this novel context of radicalized modernity (part 1), and becomes a mean to accompany individual autonomy (part 2). It also requires a certain ethics (part 3). Conceptualizing and practicing this authority is a philosophical statement conceivable in the light of democratic ambition.