What is Power, Responsibility and the Abuse of Power?

[JackDaydream]

This is a topic which incorporates aspects of ethics and politics, as well as all aspects of life, including social groups. I will begin by referring to the general concept of power, spoken of by Krishnamurti. He speaks of mechanical power and within nature, as well as, 'the power to think clearly, the power of the dictator, the power to exploit people in the name of God, in the name of the Masters, in the name of the Masters, in the name of a country. He speaks of the motivations, including tyranny and aggression, and personal gain in its negative form, asking, 'can one live without 'hunger for power, without wanting to influence or exploit people, without wanting power for oneself, or for a group or a nation, or for a Master or a saint'.

The nature of power is looked at by Simon Heffer, in 'A Short History of Power'(2011). He quotes Ludwig von Rochau: 'The direct connection between power and rule is the fundamental truth of all politics and the key to all of history.' He points to the potential within a role of leadership, saying,
'Leaders may inspire through moral example, and when they do it lends weight to the "great man" theory of history; or they may inspire through fear, which normally requires a state apparatus to carry through the fear. For no man can be an army; for any autocrat, despot or dictator to make an impact on history he has not just mass support, but the support of a ruling elite. This applies as much to the morally uplifting as it does to the gangster.'

He looks at the four major reasons for power: 'the need to achieve territorial security; the determination to impose a religion on a society; the pursuit of wealth; and the desire to impose an ideology on a society'. In particular he points to the following predicament:
'In the 21st century power consists in some new, but also in some surprisingly traditional forms. Who has the money and the arsenals it buys still matters profoundly; but who has the natural resources to survive and prosper becomes an ever more important consideration'.

Power may be a central aspect to all human relations, including political hierarchies and structures, organisations and social groups, including the family. So, I am aiming to start a discussion on the dynamics of power. In particular, can power be used responsibly? Does the egotistical aspects of human nature prevent this? What happens when power is used for the wrong motives and, what is abuse of power in various aspects of politics and in social groups?

[stevie]

[quote=Merriam Webster
Definition of power

(Entry 1 of 3)
1a(1) : ability to act or produce an effect
(2) : ability to get extra-base hits
(3) : capacity for being acted upon or undergoing an effect
b : legal or official authority, capacity, or right
2a : possession of control, authority, or influence over others
b : one having such power specifically : a sovereign state
c : a controlling group : establishment —often used in the phrase the powers that be
d archaic : a force of armed men
e chiefly dialectal : a large number or quantity
3a : physical might
b : mental or moral efficacy
c : political control or influence
4 powers plural : an order of angels — see celestial hierarchy
5a : the number of times as indicated by an exponent that a number occurs as a factor in a product 5 to the third power is 125 also : the product itself 8 is a power of 2
b : cardinal number sense 2
6a : a source or means of supplying energy especially : electricity
b : motive power
c : the time rate at which work is done or energy emitted or transferred
7 : magnification sense 2b
8 : scope entry 1 sense 3
9 : the probability of rejecting the null hypothesis in a statistical test when a particular alternative hypothesis happens to be true
[/quote]

"Power" appears relevant as 1a(1), 1a(3), 3b, 5, 6, 7, 9, so the issues of responsibility and abuse don't appear to apply.

[JackDaydream]

[quote=Merriam Webster
Definition of power

(Entry 1 of 3)
1a(1) : ability to act or produce an effect
(2) : ability to get extra-base hits
(3) : capacity for being acted upon or undergoing an effect
b : legal or official authority, capacity, or right
2a : possession of control, authority, or influence over others
b : one having such power specifically : a sovereign state
c : a controlling group : establishment —often used in the phrase the powers that be
d archaic : a force of armed men
e chiefly dialectal : a large number or quantity
3a : physical might
b : mental or moral efficacy
c : political control or influence
4 powers plural : an order of angels — see celestial hierarchy
5a : the number of times as indicated by an exponent that a number occurs as a factor in a product 5 to the third power is 125 also : the product itself 8 is a power of 2
b : cardinal number sense 2
6a : a source or means of supplying energy especially : electricity
b : motive power
c : the time rate at which work is done or energy emitted or transferred
7 : magnification sense 2b
8 : scope entry 1 sense 3
9 : the probability of rejecting the null hypothesis in a statistical test when a particular alternative hypothesis happens to be true

"Power" appears relevant as 1a(1), 1a(3), 3b, 5, 6, 7, 9, so the issues of responsibility and abuse don't appear to apply.
[/quote]

Your definitions are useful but they need to be applied to life in order to be linked to responsibility and abuse of power. The relevant aspects of the definition include 'possession of control, authority, or influence over others' because people are in positions of authority in which they have control over others through status. This control over other comes with responsibility for overseeing wellbeing and for potential abuse through this control. This is in the context of hierarchies of power, including the elite minority and many lower tiers or ranks. This relates to other clauses of the definition, especially ' political control or influence. Legal and official aspects come into play in governing power and in relation to people feeling that their human rights have not btteen taken into account.

In addition, 'capacity for being acted upon or undergoing an effect' is important in a couple of ways. All human beings are in the predicament of having to be within some system in which they do not have complete control, but the ones at the top of the hierarchy have more control, especially in status. But, also, power involves being acted upon and the agency of personal action, which is about empowerment which is an important contrast to various ways of being disempowered. In this way, power is connected to autonomy and sphere of influence in social life.

[JackDaydream]

For anyone interested in the thread topic, I wish to point to the structure of power, especially in the idea of hierarchies. This is discussed in, 'The Square and the Tower: Networks, Hierarchies and the Struggle for Global Power,' by Niall Ferguson(2017). It compares power structures in hierarchies or networks. He asks,
'Is it better today to be in a network, which gives you influence, than in a hierarchy, which gives you power? Which best described your position?'

This goes back to status and the organisation of power. Even though I have worked as a professional, I see myself at the bottom of the scale of power politically. Part of this is related to ownership. I rent accommodation privately. Only recently, I discovered that he does not own the property but is subletting from an agency, who have the ultimate power above him. It made me aware of the layers of power, control and authority.

However, the reason why I raise this topic in the section of general philosophy, as opposed to the philosophy of politics, is that power is a concept which is not simply about politics. It has psychological aspects, which are connected to the sense of freedom, or absence of it. In subjective consciousness it may come together as a blur, so I think that it is worth thinking about the various facets of the idea of power in life, and the impact which they have on in life, subjectively, and, intersujectively in the way which power, dominant and subordination exists, especially in aspects of difference, including race; gender and class and the many inequalities of power. Also, to what extent is power an aspect of social status or about the psychological aspects of choice and freedom?

[JackDaydream]

I am also aware of the way in which power as a source of freedom or oppression is based on its meaning. However, there is this aspect, as well.as material conditions, so the idea of power, ot its abuse may be on different levels, or aspects of human purpose and experience. In other words, power is not material in itself but may be interrelated to material conditions.

[MatijaSever]

For anyone interested in the thread topic, I wish to point to the structure of power, especially in the idea of hierarchies. This is discussed in, 'The Square and the Tower: Networks, Hierarchies and the Struggle for Global Power,' by Niall Ferguson(2017). It compares power structures in hierarchies or networks. He asks,
'Is it better today to be in a network, which gives you influence, than in a hierarchy, which gives you power? Which best described your position?'

This goes back to status and the organisation of power. Even though I have worked as a professional, I see myself at the bottom of the scale of power politically. Part of this is related to ownership. I rent accommodation privately. Only recently, I discovered that he does not own the property but is subletting from an agency, who have the ultimate power above him. It made me aware of the layers of power, control and authority.

However, the reason why I raise this topic in the section of general philosophy, as opposed to the philosophy of politics, is that power is a concept which is not simply about politics. It has psychological aspects, which are connected to the sense of freedom, or absence of it. In subjective consciousness it may come together as a blur, so I think that it is worth thinking about the various facets of the idea of power in life, and the impact which they have on in life, subjectively, and, intersujectively in the way which power, dominant and subordination exists, especially in aspects of difference, including race; gender and class and the many inequalities of power. Also, to what extent is power an aspect of social status or about the psychological aspects of choice and freedom?

I am new hey!
Simply put, power is an ability to make someone do something he doesnt want to do it.

[JackDaydream]

For anyone interested in the thread topic, I wish to point to the structure of power, especially in the idea of hierarchies. This is discussed in, 'The Square and the Tower: Networks, Hierarchies and the Struggle for Global Power,' by Niall Ferguson(2017). It compares power structures in hierarchies or networks. He asks,
'Is it better today to be in a network, which gives you influence, than in a hierarchy, which gives you power? Which best described your position?'

This goes back to status and the organisation of power. Even though I have worked as a professional, I see myself at the bottom of the scale of power politically. Part of this is related to ownership. I rent accommodation privately. Only recently, I discovered that he does not own the property but is subletting from an agency, who have the ultimate power above him. It made me aware of the layers of power, control and authority.

However, the reason why I raise this topic in the section of general philosophy, as opposed to the philosophy of politics, is that power is a concept which is not simply about politics. It has psychological aspects, which are connected to the sense of freedom, or absence of it. In subjective consciousness it may come together as a blur, so I think that it is worth thinking about the various facets of the idea of power in life, and the impact which they have on in life, subjectively, and, intersujectively in the way which power, dominant and subordination exists, especially in aspects of difference, including race; gender and class and the many inequalities of power. Also, to what extent is power an aspect of social status or about the psychological aspects of choice and freedom?

I am new hey!
Simply put, power is an ability to make someone do something he doesnt want to do it.

Welcome to the forum! Power is often about forcing someone to do or be in a situation which they don't wish for. In that way, it is about coercion and control. In the extreme, it could be about totalitarianism. However, in everyday life, it can be about the use of status and privileges, in which some people are much lower down and are marginalised. It can also involve assumptions about worth, with a sense of certain people being superior and others as inferior.

[JDBowden]

Can we define power as the ability to do something? Such as, I have the ability/power to turn on the shower.

[JackDaydream]

Can we define power as the ability to do something? Such as, I have the ability/power to turn on the shower.

That is an interesting question because it goes beyond the actual definition of the word power to what it means in life. In.a sense, knowledge gives power. The person who doesn't know how to work a shower may be or feel disempowered through lack of ability..Education empowers people and that may be why such an importance is placed on education. Education and access to it may vary in different parts of the world. However, going back to the time when many people were not able to read and write there were deeper divisions in power and ridership. The internet itself may give power to many through enabling access to knowledge readily, rather than it remaining exclusive to the academic elite sectors of society.