The Four Steps to the Sky

The freedom of the powerful and the way of the great gods cancel each other out, and the Xiaoyao Wang, who is slowly falling, said: "Brother, the use of the powerful, you are really a double in the world."

Mao Zhedong smiled slightly and said, "The one with power is the king, the strong, the free, the one who knows himself and the enemy, tell me, brother Xiaoyao, what do you think about the source of power?"

Xiaoyao Wang, who walked towards the pavilion of time and space, smirked and said freely: "The fur is also derived from the shallow self-explanation of the human race:

Those who have power also connote power.

Power is a widespread social phenomenon in the human race, and it is one of the core concepts of political science, international relations and international politics.Talk politically! [

In the study of political science and international relations, there may be four or more definitions of power:

Power as an individual or national pursuit.

Power is a measure of influence, that is, the content and amount of resources.

Power as a result of political struggles.

Power is an expression of the relationship between domination and domination.

Terran Mills explained: "Power: The ability to carry out one's will despite opposition."

For the above four definitions, since individual researchers have different research fields, different literature and scholars may use different definitions.

For example, fields such as sociology, cultural criticism, and discursive studies may focus on relations of domination.

Political philosophy focuses on the discussion of the goals pursued by individuals, groups, countries and other units.

International politics focuses on the measurement of the influence of international actors.

Because of the inherent coercion and inequality of power, people often compare power with evil.

But power is also an inevitable means of maintaining the operation of human society.When the legitimacy of power as power is lost.Often degenerates into outright violence.

The word power in Chinese comes from the translation of English power.

Power comes from the Latin potests or potent, derived from the Latin verb potere.Meaning "can do something", power refers to the ability to achieve a certain purpose through the exercise of the will.

Quan in Chinese means fairness and balance, and does not have the meaning of ability in English power.The translation of English power into power is the attachment of future generations.

Power, as a common phenomenon in human society, has been widely discussed in ancient philosophical literature in the East and the West.

In the speeches or writings of Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Confucius, Han Fei, etc., they have directly or indirectly discussed the elements of power, the evaluation of legitimate or illegitimate power, and the Ethical and practical issues such as acquisition and loss.

For example, Plato and Aristotle believed that philosophical knowledge or laws made by citizens can be sources of political power.It is controlled by one person, a small number of oligarchs or a majority of people.

In the Analects of Confucius, Confucius once proposed three power resources for a ruler, namely, sufficient food, sufficient soldiers, and people's trust, namely economic conditions, military strength, and political legitimacy. [

Han Fei uses the concept of power to define power resources, distinguishing between material resources (natural power, such as land resources, etc.) and non-material resources (personal power, such as the advantages and disadvantages of government, laws, and ruling strategies), etc. .

The rise of modern political science is inseparable from the analysis of power.American political scientist Lasswell proposed in the 1950s that analyzing power means studying who, what, when, and how to win?Theme of.

American international political scientist Morgenthau also put forward the concept of power for interests in the same year, distinguishing power resources including population, geography, economy, and strategy.And assert that the essence of international politics is the pursuit of the limits of these resources.These insights roughly established the main direction of the study of power in modern political science.

In addition, in sociology, anthropology, psychology, and interdisciplinary schools of social science, such as structuralism, psychoanalysis, and feminism, power relations are further traced back to the formation of human consciousness and the derivation of language symbols. Control customs.

For example, the original patriarchal domination and resistance developed the modern dichotomy between public and private spheres and the relationship between domination and resistance; the inherent suppression of individual instincts in human civilization and society and the resulting dissatisfaction.

Another example is the domination of cultural hegemony (sometimes called soft power) formed by political and economic forces instilling and supporting ideas in discourse.The above studies have expanded the field of vision of power research from different perspectives.

The definition of power in politics.Focus on the control and coercion brought about by the inequality between the two sides of power.

Individuals' obedience to power does not come from fear, but from the possible punishment of resisting power brought about by the legitimacy of rights.

However, if the state only relies on violence to exercise power, it will form a tyranny, and the law will stabilize power and stabilize society.

about subjects with power.There has been much controversy.The general view is that the subject (or carrier, unit) exercising power can be an individual or a group.

The largest group power unit is the state.The rationale for the exercise of its powers is the theory of sovereignty.However, from individuals to countries, there are still power units of different sizes, including several organizations and groups with transnational power:

Official international organizations (such as the United Nations, NATO, ASEAN, the European Union, the Commonwealth of Great Britain, the Association of Independent States, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, and the disintegrated Warsaw Pact, etc.)

Multinational corporations (such as Apple, Microsoft, McDonald's, Boeing, BP, t&t AT&T, ExxonMobil, Hon Hai, General Electric (Georgia), Lockheed Martin, etc.)

International NGOs (e.g. Amnesty International, Correspondents Frontiers, European Socialist Parties, Greenpeace, Tzu Chi, Red Cross)

Large international media outlets (e.g. Time Warner Group, n, New York Times, BBC, etc.)

Mainstream religious groups (e.g., Catholic Church, American Evangelicals, Jewish Association)

Large international financial institutions and funds (such as JPMorgan Chase, Feng).

Classes, political parties, interest groups, trade unions.

In international politics, the resources and influence of international organizations and multinational corporations are often far greater than those of most small and medium-sized countries.

For example, in the Asian financial turmoil, the strength of the multinational hedge funds behind the hot money was greater than that of the central banks of many ASEAN countries.

Al Qaeda's armed forces and political influence far exceed those of some small and medium-sized Middle Eastern countries.Even great powers must fear three points.

From the perspective of methodology and ontology, some theorists believe that the ultimate carrier of power is still individuals, and groups are only the means and tools for individuals to exercise power, and they have their own power. [

Too much emphasis on groups can easily lead to the myth of worshiping the collective, and its argument dwarfs the status of people but highlights the status of the collective.

However, the opponents believe that the operation rules of the group are no longer dominated by individuals in the group, so the group has its own autonomy and initiative.There is no final conclusion between the two disputes.

Another theorist believes that although the controlling subject of power is the decision of a person or an organization, the traceability of human nature is ultimately reflected in people's thoughts, thinking, expectations, and judgments.

Therefore, the implementation process of power ultimately expresses the process of discussion, decision-making, execution, obedience and other gradual influence amplification. This process expresses power, which is equivalent to energy in a certain sense.

It is also possible to analyze the attributes of the force of power according to the principles of physics. The ultimate power is a kind of coercion that strengthens the consciousness of all subjects, which is neutralized and finally caused by people's own rational judgment of ideals and reality. force.

However, the ultimate source comes from the various subjective consciousness of actual decision makers.

Kenneth Galbraith pointed out that the basis of power includes personality, wealth and organization.

The foundation of power depends on a strong personality, the distribution of power is subject to wealth, and the grasp and use of power depends on organizations such as classes, strata, political parties, and associations. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to the starting point to vote, monthly pass, your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile phone users, please go to read.)