Power

[assclass]

I have been thinking about the topic of power for a while, and would like to read more about the topic.

Hopefully there is a book that gives a basic history of the topic and some details on how human power relationships can be viewed.

Basically I have come to understand that the traditional pyramid hierarchy of power is incomplete and flawed.

 

[Nixiam]

^The ability to use strength in the most efficient manner possible.

 

[Foreigner]

What aspect of power are you still wondering about?

 

[assclass]

What aspect of power are you still wondering about?

Human/society power hierarchy mainly.

 

[cashfl0w_d0nkey]

Andrew Bard Schmookler: The Parable of the Tribes

"A new look at how the history of civilization may have been largely shaped by the raw struggle for power between societies"

First chapter excerpt: http://www.context.org/iclib/ic07/schmoklr/

Highly recommended. I read this book in juvie and it was one of a few books that really shaped my worldview. If you don't read the whole book (it's long), you can get a pretty good idea of the premise through the excerpt.

 

[assclass]

Cool, I'll order that and give it a read this summer.

***

I think we typically view power as a top down hierarchy, but I've started to view it differently. If you think of how subatomic particles, or planetary bodies in the universe, you have little things orbiting big things, etc. I find that there is a force like gravity that pulls things together (dunno, maybe magnetism is more apt, with bipolar push and pull).

So lets look at a quick example looking at economic power.

You have a rich corporation/person, who is a big planet, and there are smaller ones orbiting it (wealthy people), and then smaller ones orbiting those (normal people).

 

[Kittycat5]

How is that really different?