Mechanics of power - Revision history

Woozle: The Prince

2014-12-28T22:23:55Z

The Prince

Woozle: another related CWRE page

2014-12-28T22:19:25Z

another related CWRE page

Woozle: questions; The Anatomy of Power

2014-12-28T21:59:03Z

questions; The Anatomy of Power

Woozle: more explanation; examples of beliefs about power

2014-12-28T21:04:09Z

more explanation; examples of beliefs about power

Woozle: saving work

2014-12-28T20:42:40Z

saving work

New page

Political power -- meaning power over other people, not necessarily exercised via government or any legitimate authority -- is at the heart of pretty much every social or large-scale problem on Earth today, yet as far as we are aware there has been no formal study of how it works.

==Notes==
'''To be checked''': Mongol hordes exercised power over their subjugated villages by threatening extreme retribution -- killing not just the perpetrator, but often their family or entire village -- for even small infractions. Society was sharply divided into the peasantry (who did the work and received the punishments) and the nobility (who received most of the benefits and did most of the punishing).
==Links==
* '''2014-10-23''' [http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/10/the-police-are-still-out-of-control-112160.html The Police Are Still Out of Control] ([https://plus.google.com/u/0/104092656004159577193/posts/iQRwWAz4nTf h/t]) by Frank Serpico
** powermongers are righteously indignant when their harmful activities are exposed and/or stopped
*** "If it wasn’t for that fuckin' Serpico, I coulda been a millionaire today."
*** some may take retribution against whistleblowers
*** others may socially ostracize whistleblowers, even if this allows the whistleblower to come to harm
**** "If I knew it was him, I would have left him there to bleed to death."
*** tentatively: a powermonger may have supporters who have not done an independent ethical evaluation and are simply being loyal to their "friend" (the powermonger)
** "the Narcotics division was rotten to the core, with many guys taking money from the very drug dealers they were supposed to bust."
*** piracy is more profitable than production
*** cutting funding for legitimate activities increases the incentive for illegitimate activities
** in-group loyalty can be exploited to protect the corrupt

@@ Line 37: / Line 37: @@
 ** in-group loyalty can be exploited to protect the corrupt
 ===books===
-* ''{{l/wp|The Anatomy of Power}}'' (1983) ([http://abridge.me.uk/doku.php?id=the_anatomy_of_power abridged text])
+* ''{{l/wp|The Anatomy of Power}}'' (1983): [http://abridge.me.uk/doku.php?id=the_anatomy_of_power abridged text]

@@ Line 22: / Line 22: @@
 ==Notes==
 '''To be checked''': Mongol hordes exercised power over their subjugated villages by threatening extreme retribution -- killing not just the perpetrator, but often their family or entire village -- for even small infractions. Society was sharply divided into the peasantry (who did the work and received the punishments) and the nobility (who received most of the benefits and did most of the punishing).
 ==Links==
 * '''2014-10-23''' [http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/10/the-police-are-still-out-of-control-112160.html The Police Are Still Out of Control] ([https://plus.google.com/u/0/104092656004159577193/posts/iQRwWAz4nTf h/t]) by Frank Serpico

@@ Line 15: / Line 15: @@
 Is there some core element to it, or is it just a collection of methodologies to be used opportunistically? If the latter, then a catalog of those methodologies and some documentation of their usage would seem to be in order. If the former, then a better understanding of how each methodology is related to the core would also seem to be in order.
 ==Notes==
 '''To be checked''': Mongol hordes exercised power over their subjugated villages by threatening extreme retribution -- killing not just the perpetrator, but often their family or entire village -- for even small infractions. Society was sharply divided into the peasantry (who did the work and received the punishments) and the nobility (who received most of the benefits and did most of the punishing).
@@ Line 29: / Line 34: @@
 *** cutting funding for legitimate activities increases the incentive for illegitimate activities
 ** in-group loyalty can be exploited to protect the corrupt