The author also mentioned a famous political philosopher and sociologist that touched the topics explaining power relations like Talcott Parsons and Michael Foucault to show their own views of the topic. As a sociologist, Parsons considered power as a property of the social system and it is a medium for mobilizing resources.Still it will end as a zero-sum game and at the same time actors may mutually benefit from the increase of power within the social system. For Focault, power is productive and not merely negative, does not merely compel subjects to submit to the will of another and is applied to transform both the nature…
What is power? For generations many political leaders have gained and lost power. In the book Lord of the flies, children of the island gain power through fear, whereas in the novel Farewell to Manzanar, power lied in the U.S army keeping japanese americans captive. French revolutionist Maximilien Robespierre, struck fear into the hearts of many during the reign of terror, and the Estates system held power in different classes. the first and Second estates were the higher class, while the third estate was the “working poor”. As shown, there are many forms of power, yet are all based around the same idea, control.…
and whatever is powerful may be just” (Blaise Pascal). Power is an outstanding topic in this well…
Power is the ability to influence people to perform in a specific way. The ambition of having power, has made humans influence other peoples’ lives and nature. For example, writer David Hume presented and criticized the “is-ought problem—the notion that we can derive what ought to be from an example of what is” (Barash 283). People are not satisfied with what is natural, so they want to go furthermore and try to change it, using any sources they have within their reach. We are unstoppable, the more we have the more we want.…
The Berlin wall separated East and West Germany both physically and politically. Disabling families to convene, putting people out of their jobs, and creating a divide between the Communist East Germany and the Democratic West Germany. Civilians inhabiting East Germany lived under strict rule, restricted to not even being able to leave their homes. Living under such strict, controlled power implied there needed to be surveillance in order to eliminate unfaithfulness to communism. Government officials, police, and other advocates watched the society closely to ensure complete obedience reminding us of Michael Foucault’s theory of punishment and discipline and Jeremy Bentham’s Panopticon. Analyzing East Germany circa 1984 through Florian von…
Power refers to the capacity that someone has to influence the behavior of another person. The most important part of aspect of power is that it is a function of dependency. The greater someone is dependent on another person, the greater their power is over that person. There are five forms of power; three of them which are considered formal power and the remaining…
In Michael Foucault’s reading on “Panopticism” he breaks down the social/economical systems and explains that society’s mentality on the law system. He answers the “why question” in a way certain individuals act and think as they do. Many times his explanation is much branched off into a different level of thinking. In one paragraph in “Panopticism”, a disciplinary mechanism is described, which is considered the best way for one person to be punished, in the new knowledge and learning is gained by every individual. But in “Our Secret” by Susan Griffins she carefully constructs and describes history, particularly WWII through the lives of several different people. Such as David Bartholomae and…
Foucault expands on the relationship between knowledge and power when he notes that “the formation of knowledge and the increase of power regularly reinforce one another in a circular process” (Foucault 224). This statement creates an inextricable link between power and knowledge since they “reinforce” one another. The “circular” or cyclic nature of this process makes it difficult to separate or break this connection. Essentially, those who have power establish knowledge in society, and those who establish knowledge have power. Knowledge in society informs standards of behavior, and therefore also constitutes categories of behavior that deviate from these standards. Foucault applies his theory to the legal system when he explains that “the juridical systems define juridical subjects according to universal norms, the disciplines characterize, classify, specialize” (Foucault 223). As seen in the preceding quote, these “universal norms” are knowledge already constituted by institutions of power, and the juridical system is an example of one of these institutions using its power in this manner. This system “defines … subjects;” the use of subjects establishes a direct power hierarchy. Within this power hierarchy, the juridical…
“Power can be defined as the possession of control, authority, or influence over others” (“Power”1). It is a term that has been passed down since the beginning of time or humanity that has led to the development of modern society today. Power is not necessarily used in a negative way. It can be used as a way to lead, similar to the president, as well as to set an example for people in the world. Throughout history, power has evolved from being utilized for violence and self-benefit, to the development and betterment of the general masses. In modern society today, it is a massive driving force in determining what is to happen next. This idea of authority is a continuous theme in Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. In modern society as well as in…
March wrote “The Power of Power” back in 1966. I believe that the point March is trying to make is quoted at the end of his article stating that “Power is a disappointing concept. It gives us surprisingly little purchase in reasonable models of complex systems of social choice.” (Classics Text by Shariftz 2011, pg 318). March states that the power of power depends on the extent to which a predictive model requires and can make effective use of such a concept. What March is trying to say is that power is too broad a concept for our empirical understanding at this point and until we can define every variable involved in the exercise of power, power cannot be empirically defined. The Oxford dictionary defines ‘power’ as: The ability to make people (or things) do what they would not otherwise have done. Power is often classified into five principal forms: force, persuasion, authority, coercion, and manipulation. March focused on a specific concept of power; which are used in theories that have the following general assumptions:…
Celeste Ng (1980- ), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is regarded as one of the most potential Chinese American writers in contemporary America. Her debut novel Everything I Never Told You, published on June 26, 2014, has gained extensive attention from all over the world. Set in 1970s in a small town named Middlewood, the novel tells a tragic story of an interracial family. Focusing on the issues of race, gender and parent-child relationship, the novel reflects the writer's concern about the social problems existed in America. Although many book reviewers and scholars at home and abroad have studied the novel from different perspectives, they all focus on the analysis of its theme, characters and narrative techniques.…
Power is so ingrained into our society it's almost second nature to rely on it. We use power to further ourselves by using the connections we form. Not everyone posses power, but they do try to display it on those who have even less than they do. The abundance or the insufficiency of power has been the main problem with the world since the beginning of time. Power imbalances the norms of the human race, it tips the odds in the favor of the endowed; in the process taking it away from those who aren’t. It’s the reason the rich are getting richer and the poor, poorer. It corrupts those who seek it, and destroys those who lack it. Driving us towards a destination that isn’t always good for the human race: once they have a taste, they hunger for…
During the seventeenth century, the plague became a very big issue. Many died from it, and many societies were devastated from the aftermath. During this time, however, many higher officials felt the need to create guidelines to deal with the problem of the plague. The solution was isolation and strict discipline. There was constant surveillance, and the residents were checked on frequently to make sure they were following orders. This community during the plague was designed for strict discipline, and many would have to make sacrifices. This view of control that was developed during the time of the plague became a basis for how we deal with unwanted, undesireable individuals.…
Power refers to a capacity that one has to influence the behavior of the other.…
In order to understand power, one must understand that it comes from dependency. Power and dependence have a causal relationship in that power creates dependence and vice versa. In addition, power and dependence are positively correlated because the degree of power A has over B is equal to the degree of dependence A has on B (Molm, 1990). Therefore, the more power A has over B, the more dependent B will be on A. “Dependence increases when the resource [one controls] is important, scarce, and non-substitutable (Robbins & Judge, 2013)”. To illustrate this point, consider the following:…