Power

Full Title and Meme

Power has been the source of control over one's environment since the origin of life on Earth.

Context

Benjamin Constant argued for the need to limit sovereignty. Unbounded power, whether exercised in the name of a people, a king, or an assembly, is a very perilous thing. This is because when sovereignty is unlimited "there is no means of sheltering individuals from governments."

Problems

Power comes from the plenitude of whatever it is the causes action beit:

• More People
• More Particles
• More Energy

But if any of these is not ordered, the power is not useful. What is useful is directed power. When the mob is in control, order is lost and the power of the masses is not put to useful results. This is the typical result of unfettered democracy. The leaders that control the mob can get useful work out of this and become the recognized leaders. If the leaders get together in a class, it attempt to magnify its value and institutionalize it. The Greater Vehicle in Sanskrit or Mahāyāna represents a broad tradition within Buddhism that emphasizes the Bodhisattva path (striving for enlightenment) not just for oneself, but for the benefit of all beings. The Hinayana (the lesser vehicle) focuses only on the individual. While a great leader will focus on the greater good, the one who inherits that agglomeration of mob power may focus on the lesser good.

Democracy

In Plato;s RepublicSocrates seemed pretty clear on one sobering point: that "tyranny is probably established out of no other regime than democracy." What did Plato mean by that? Democracy, for him, I discovered, was a political system of maximal freedom and equality, where every lifestyle is allowed and public offices are filled by a lottery. And the longer a democracy lasted, Plato argued, the more democratic it would become. Its freedoms would multiply, its equality spread. Deference to any sort of authority would wither, tolerance of any kind of inequality would come under intense threat, and multiculturalism and sexual freedom would create a city or a country like "a many-colored cloak decorated in all hues." This rainbow-flag polity, Plato argues, is, for many people, the fairest of regimes The freedom in that democracy has to be experienced to be believed - with home and privilege in particular emerging over time as anathema. But it is inherently unstable. As the authority of elites fades, as Establishment values cede to popular ones, views and identities can become so magnificently diverse as to be mutually uncomprehending. And when all the barriers to equality, formal and informal, have been removed; when everyone is equal, when elites are despised, and full license is established to do "whatever one wants," arrive at what might be called late-stage democracy. There is no kowtowing to authority here, let alone to political experience or expertise.

Walter Lippmann's The Phantom Public (1925) is a critical examination of democracy and the role of the public in governance. Lippmann argues that the general public is largely uninformed and incapable of meaningful political decision-making, suggesting that governance should be left to experts rather than relying on mass participation. He contrasts the idealized notion of an engaged and competent public with what he sees as the reality—an uninformed and passive majority that reacts to events rather than shaping them.

While many democracies have experienced leaders with authoritarian tendencies, some have maintained strong democratic traditions without electing outright autocrats. Countries like Canada, New Zealand, Denmark and Sweden have historically upheld democratic norms and avoided leaders who dismantle democratic institutions. However, democratic backsliding is a global concern, and even stable democracies must remain vigilant against authoritarian influences such as the creation of any sort of collaboration of the Powerful with any of the less fortunate communities like common ethnic identities.

Stable democracies thrive due to several key Power factors:

• Strong Institutions: Independent judiciary, free press, and effective checks and balances prevent Power concentration.
• Political Culture: Societies with high levels of trust, tolerance, and civic engagement foster democratic resilience.
• Economic Stability: A strong economy reduces social unrest and strengthens democratic governance.
• Rule of Law: Consistent legal frameworks ensure fairness and accountability of the Powerful business and money interests.
• Social Mobility: Opportunities for upward mobility reduce inequality and political dissatisfaction.
• Common Cause: The social groups that are not part of the elite work together to limit the Power of the elites.