Barry Mallis writes:
> To Allen Gibson ...
>
> In your excellent observations about power, there is one thought with
> which I cannot entirely agree at this time. You state: "Those who seek to
> hold power do not do so for the benefit of others--but only for
> themselves."
>
> Let me "type aloud" about this one. Is this statement too broad? Is
> there not a person who actually seeks to hold power for the benefit of
> many, because of a recognition that the position of power invests good
> intentions with potential, and then with positive actions which assist the
> many?
Barry may be right that it is possible to start out seeking power for
laudable motives. Also, I find the original assertion a bit ambiguous. If
the intended parsing is that those who seek power do so for the *economic*
benefit of themselves, I agree with Barry that this goes too far - many
people who seek power do so because they enjoy exercising it, and are in
fact quite content to exercise it (largely) for the economic benefit of
others.
However, I have seen little (and that's being generous) counter-indication
to Lord Acton's asymptotic state: "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute
power corrupts absolutely". I see this as a fundamental constraint with
which any theory of the social application of power must deal.
P-)
--
___o - o Peter Marks <marks@halcyon.com>
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